


Sugar Sugar We're Goin' Down

by aj_hofacre, lydiamartin (dwinchester)



Series: Sugar Sugar and Cyanide [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-09-26 05:36:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 17
Words: 54,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9867467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aj_hofacre/pseuds/aj_hofacre, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwinchester/pseuds/lydiamartin
Summary: The night before Scott is supposed to leave Beacon Hills, a murder victim washes up on the bank of the river and makes him reconsider.





	1. Chapter 1

Stiles got out of his Jeep, looking around furtively as he walked toward his dad. He glanced back over his shoulder at Scott, then peered past the caution tape. He tilted his head at the sight of a red-haired teen with a gunshot wound in his forehead. “I was kind of expecting a bisected werewolf,” Stiles whispered to Scott. “I don’t know what that says about me.” 

Scott snickered. “What does it say about me that I sort of expected the same?” He asked, and then blinked. “Oh, god, what does it say about our lives?”

“Do you always let civilians near crime scenes?” Sheriff Paul Keller moved to stand near John Stilinski, whose county was right next to his. The river was the dividing line, and Jason’s body washing up on the shore meant that both police forces were going to have to work together to find the young man’s murderer. 

John sighed as he glanced at the other man. “If I had the choice? No. But this civilian happens to be my son.” He cleared his throat and gestured at Scott. “And his best friend. Stiles!” He looked over at the teens, shaking his head. “I know I’ve talked to you about listening to the scanner before.”

“Yes, but Dad...” Stiles paused. This was when his dad usually grabbed his arm or the back of his shirt and dragged him away from whatever he probably wasn’t supposed to be looking at. 

John snorted. “Like you aren’t going to be seeing worse than this when you start your program?” He deliberately turned away from Sheriff Keller and asked his son, _sotto voce_ , “Was this one of your things?” He glanced at Scott pointedly.

Stiles gave his dad a wary look. “I don’t know what you expect me to say right now.” He muttered, his gaze darting toward the sheriff of the adjoining county before he looked at Scott, then his father again. “Either you want me listening to the scanner or you don’t.” 

John sighed. “Don’t… let me catch you listening to the scanner?” He tried, and then shook his head and looked at Keller. “Look, this is my son, he’s heading into the FBI program, I’m proud as hell of him, and he’s done more than his fair share to help me out with cases, whether I wanted him to or not. More often than not, I ended up coming to him. So if he can give me some insight, I want him here.”

Paul looked at Stiles, regarding him silently for a moment as the younger man looked everywhere except at him. He chuckled to himself. “I’ve got a son like you.” He nodded to Stiles. “I don’t think he’s interested in being a cop of any sort, though.” He glanced at John, nodding again before he walked away to confer with his deputies. 

Stiles sighed in relief. “If it’s a wolfsbane bullet, we know exactly what kind of person shot him and why.” He said quickly. “And if there’s someone out here killing werewolves again, then there are a lot of werewolves who aren’t safe. Maybe I should defer for another semester? I mean, Scott’s dad already hates me anyway, it’s not like I’d be disappointing him much.” 

Scott protested. “Who cares if you disappoint my dad or not, dude?” He squeezed Stiles’ shoulder. “Do _not_ defer. I really don’t think you should. This is one hell of an opportunity for you.” He fidgeted. “Not… that I’m trying to tell you what to do or anything. Um. Okay, look. Forget what anyone else says, me, my dad, your dad. Think about what you really want, and if you want to defer, then I’ll back you up.” He seemed to realize he’d gone off on a tangent a moment later and then looked sheepishly at John, who was staring at him, unblinking. “Um… and it _is_ a wolfsbane bullet. I can smell it from here.” Another pause. “It’s kinda making me sick, actually.”

Stiles gestured toward his Jeep, then took a few steps backward, toward it. “We’re going to let everyone else know what’s going on.” He told his dad. “And, uh, then... I’ll figure out what I’m doing. I need to hurry up and decide though, because if I wait until the last minute, my girlfriend Lydia Martin is going to kill me. My girlfriend. Lydia Martin.” He smiled. 

Scott snickered, patting Stiles’ arm. “Come on, Stiles, before your girlfriend decides to come find you herself.” His eyes twinkled. “You know. Lydia Martin. Who is your girlfriend.”

John put a hand over his eyes and sighed. “Go. Thank you. I’ll see you at home for dinner, kiddo.” A tiny smile twitched at his lips.

“Can I invite my girlfriend Lydia?” Stiles scratched at the back of his neck. “You know, because she likes food, too. And me. She likes me.” 

“Oh, god, this is never stopping, is it?” John snorted. “Yeah, sure, invite Lydia. Since she likes food, and you.”

Stiles laughed as he got into the Jeep and started it. He glanced over at Scott. “So. Lydia’s going to murder me. I want you to remember that I said this, because I’m apparently so easily forgettable.” He smirked. “And because I’m definitely deferring.” 

Scott rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I kinda figured you would be.” He bit his lower lip, glancing at the other teen. “Do you think I should, then?”

“Why would you?” Stiles protested. “You’ve wanted out of this town since you first got stuck back in it.” He squinted, his lips moving as he repeated his words back to himself, before he spoke again. “Did you know that guy?” 

Scott shook his head, then hesitated, frowning. “He sort of… seems familiar.” He sighed. “I don’t know for sure. I think maybe I know him, but I’m not sure, you know? And - dude. If you’re staying in Beacon Hills, then you know I would. Being across the country from each other for college is going to be hard as hell…” He looked up at the other boy and smiled crookedly. “If I can postpone it in any way, I will.”

Stiles smiled back at his best friend. “You have yearbooks from middle school though, right?” He eyed his phone and wondered if he should call Lydia right away, or if he should wait. 

Scott tilted his head to the side. “Packed away still, I think.” He murmured, but nodded slowly. “But they’re definitely in the house somewhere, still. Unless Mom threw them out, but I doubt it.”

“Okay, then maybe we can go through them and see if there’s anyone else you remember, that we can talk to about him?” Stiles suggested. “I mean, the guy had friends, right? He had to know at least someone else that was a werewolf. He didn’t get there himself. Even born wolves know other born wolves.” He tapped the steering wheel. “You know, maybe we should, uh, call Derek?” 

Scott thought about it for a moment, and then sighed. “Man, I don’t know. I mean, I know we could definitely use Derek’s help, but… he got out. And you know him.” He looked at his best friend. “The minute he thinks we might need help here, he’s gonna hightail it back, and this town has been nothing but shit to him.” He rubbed his chin. “As for the yearbooks, yeah, we can definitely take a look at them.”

“We’ll call him if we don’t get anywhere with the people we try to talk to.” Stiles murmured. “Because Derek might know other born werewolves in the area. He doesn’t even have to come back, he can tell us over the phone.” He glanced at his phone again. “Do me a favor and call Lydia, and put it on speaker?” 

Scott nodded and grabbed his phone, hiding his grin as he unlocked it and dialed Lydia’s number before pressing the speaker button. “I was kinda wondering how long you were gonna last.” He teased.

“I have to tell her.” Stiles explained as Lydia answered. 

“Tell me what?” Lydia demanded. “Hi, Scott.” 

“Hi, Lyds!” Scott said cheerfully. “Go ahead and tell her, Stiles.”

“Yes, tell me, Stiles.” Lydia echoed, bemused. She had picked up a few last-minute things to pack in her suitcase, for the long trip across the country. 

“I’m not going with you.” Stiles blurted, then cringed. 

“Excuse me?” Lydia began softly, her voice raising as she spoke. “We’re supposed to leave tomorrow morning. I just spent half of my last summer job paycheck on underwear to wear in your presence. And now you’re telling me, fifteen hours before we’re leaving, that you’re not going?” 

“There was a body in the woods!” Stiles yelped, suddenly terrified. “Don’t be mad, please?” 

Scott cleared his throat. “Lydia, really - um, a kid from the next town over washed up on the shore at the river. I think it’s possible that I might have known him, and… Um, I’m deferring for a semester. And hopefully that’ll be enough time, I don’t know, but I’m deferring.” He glanced at Stiles, and then added, “And Stiles is because… because he’s Stiles. I mean, his dad even asked him for help.” ‘Kinda,’ he mouthed at the other boy, shrugging. 

Lydia’s tone had softened once more, when she spoke again. “What do you need to do?” 

“Well, we’re going to look at Scott’s old yearbooks.” Stiles explained. “From middle school. If we can figure out who the dead kid’s friends were, we can talk to them and go from there, you know? Figure out if anyone might’ve had a reason to want him dead. And they might be more likely to talk to us than my dad and the other Sheriff.” 

“Stiles, you don’t have to be here for this.” Lydia protested, hating the way her voice sounded a little bit whiny. “Your dad is capable of conducting his own investigation. People are counting on you to be in Washington in a few weeks, and I don’t just mean me.” 

Scott bit his lower lip, feeling inexplicably guilty, though he wasn’t sure exactly why. He sighed. “She’s right.” He murmured. “You should go. I’ll stay and help your dad.” He looked at Stiles and smiled. “It’s Lydia, man. You’ve been… you’ve been waiting for her since the minute you saw her. You need to be in that car with her tomorrow.”

Stiles looked conflicted. “Lydia, can you just give me until midnight? If I don’t have any real leads, I’ll come with you. I swear to god. But it seems kind of weird to go across the country to learn how to solve crimes when there’s one right here that I can use for practice, and I’m wishing I had used a different phrase, but there it is.” He muttered. “If this had been Scott, I’d want people working around the clock to solve his murder.” He paled a little at the thought of his best friend not being around, but Lydia’s words had him regaining his focus. 

“Stiles, was this guy a werewolf?” Lydia asked, her tone a careful balance between casual and cautious. 

“We don’t know yet. But the wolfsbane bullet in his forehead kind of points to yes.” Stiles remarked. 

“You’ll work faster with my help.” Lydia said quickly. “I’m picking up coffee and meeting you at Scott’s.” She hung up. 

Stiles smiled slowly. “Did I mention that I love her?” 

Scott ducked his head, his lips twitching. “Only a half a million times.” He joked, looking up at Stiles and grinning.


	2. Chapter 2

Melissa McCall watched as the son she gave birth to and the one she might as well have adopted drank coffee that she could only pray wasn’t overloaded with sugar. She knew that they, and the red-haired young woman sitting with them, were adults now and about to go off into the world and do great things. But she still saw both boys as... well, _boys_. Children weren’t supposed to drink coffee and talk about murder investigations. Especially not the toddlers she preferred to think of Scott and Stiles as being. She longed for the days when her biggest problem was figuring out what to do with the sand her kid brought home in his shoes. 

Scott dragged his finger over a series of photos, shaking his head and sighing and scowling. “I’m not seeing this kid. Or I’m not - recognizing him, god.” He muttered, looking at his friend and Lydia. “I mean… There were a lot of extraneous factors. You know, bloating, uh… a lot of facial damage.” He grimaced. “Rotting.” He glanced up, and then blinked when he caught sight of his mother. “Oh. Sorry, Mom.” He murmured.

Melissa smiled tightly at him. She didn’t say that it was alright. “What’s going on? Last minute memories of a murder victim?” She asked - and then grimaced, just like her son. “God, that shouldn’t be so casual for me to say.” She muttered.

Stiles smiled sympathetically. “I’m probably just going to have to check in with my dad and get a name.” He murmured. “He should have it by now. But no, this guy was from Riverdale. We were hoping to find pictures of him and maybe be able to figure out who his friends were, but Scott’s right. The amount of yuck makes it kind of impossible to figure out who we’re looking for, and that’s even without four or five years of time for him to have gotten taller, stopped having acne, that sort of thing.” 

“Were there any identifying marks?” Melissa dragged a chair away from the kitchen table and sat down, leaning forward a little on her elbows as she peered at the yearbook, as though it had answers for her. “Tattoos or moles, maybe?” 

Stiles shook his head. “Nothing I could see. Just red hair and an outfit that looked like he belonged in one of those old Gap ads.” 

Scott nodded. “Really pale, though, I think. Under the… you know.” He squinted, thinking. “Definite preppy vibe. And it sounds weird, I guess, maybe, but I kind of got the idea that maybe he was… uh, pretty?”

Melissa blinked at him slowly. “Why in the world would I think that that sounded weird?” She asked her son, looking unimpressed. “Scott. Focus, baby. Defining features. Did you see any moles? Did his nose look like it had ever been broken, did you see the color of his eyes, maybe?”

“Nah, they were kinda filmy.” Stiles muttered, sparing a glance at Lydia, who gave him a hesitant smile in return. “Look, I think we need to call Derek. I said it before, I’m saying it again now. We’re getting nowhere, and I don’t feel like wandering around Riverdale and asking everyone if they knew... whatever his name is. I’ve still got thirteen hours before I have to make my decision. I’m not ready to quit yet.” He got up, leaving the table as he called his dad. 

Lydia sipped her coffee and set the paper cup aside. “I’ve been trying to figure out why I didn’t notice. It’s what I do, isn’t it? I can sense when someone is going to die, but I didn’t find this corpse.” 

Scott rubbed at his face. “I’m not sure, honestly. I’m not even sure why that didn’t occur to me. It should’ve been the first thing I thought of, right after ‘Oh, it’s another dead body.’ Maybe something was blocking you from finding out?”

“Like what?” Lydia asked, making a face at Scott. 

“His name’s Jason Blossom.” Stiles sat back down. “His family is sort of like... the Whittemores. He’s got a twin sister. Cheryl. I guess he was already presumed dead, but they never found him. She said he drowned. Unless he drowned from being shot in the head, I doubt it.” He snorted. “Anyway, I don’t know that they even need my help around here.” He ran a hand over his face. “So I guess I should go home and pack.” 

Scott was silent, “Because shit like this doesn’t happen in Riverdale.” He said quietly. “Riverdale is basically… the opposite of Beacon Hills. People there die of old age. Not murder.” He gestured, grabbing a yearbook with his other hand. “Headshot generally means murder. Which means… something hinky is happening in Riverdale.”

“I cannot believe you haven’t packed yet.” Lydia muttered. 

“You actually expected him to be ready to go before the last minute?” Melissa shook her head, a knowing smile on her face. 

“Hey!” Stiles blurted. “I did pack. I packed and unpacked and repacked everything at least ten times. I just keep feeling like I’m forgetting something.” He pointed at Scott, then Lydia. “If either of you says one word about forgetting anything or anyone, I’m walking out of here and you’ll never see me again. For real, this time.” 

Scott snorted. “Okay.” He shook his head and stood up, stretching. “So… Yeah.” He leaned over the table, flipped pages until he found what he was looking for, and tapped the photo in the yearbook of Jason Blossom. “That’s him. I mean, that’s him from about four years ago, but that’s definitely him.”

Stiles pulled the yearbook toward him and looked at the face of the sixth-grader that Jason Blossom had been. “So he’s younger than us...” He murmured. “He would have been a sophomore this year.” He glanced up slowly at Scott, frowning. 

Scott rubbed at his mouth, sighing. “Everybody in Riverdale knows the Blossoms.” He said finally, looking back at Stiles. “You literally could not go anywhere in town without running into Jason and his sister. Their parents are rich, so they’ve got that… sense of entitlement that most people have, and Cheryl wasn’t even the nicest girl way back when Mom and I lived there. Jason wasn’t much better. Didn’t matter that I was older than them - they both had a way of making it seem like they were looking down their noses at you.”

“So you think somebody just got pissed off enough to shoot Jason in the head, and it’s probably not a hunter, then?” Stiles frowned. “But whoever it was, they know about werewolves.” 

“Which makes it possible that it could be a grudge _and_ a vendetta.” Scott groaned. 

“That literally means the same thing.” Stiles remarked. He rubbed his eyes.

“Stiles, I want to leave tomorrow.” Lydia gave her boyfriend a plaintive look. “If you want to stay here, that’s okay, but I don’t think...” She trailed off, sighing. “I don’t want to have this conversation right here. I want you to think a little more about it before you decide. Make sure you’re making the right decision.” She stood up, dropping her cup into the McCalls’ trash can. “I need to get going, I have some things I still need to take care of.” 

Scott gave her a weak smile. “Hey.” He said, moving toward her. “If I don't see you before you leave? Be safe. Have a good trip.” He swallowed and hugged her. “I'll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” Lydia murmured. She gave Stiles another long look, then left the house. 

“I know something about this doesn’t add up.” Stiles frowned. “If he was killed a month ago, why was he just found? It’s not like he was under the ice, in winter.” He shook his head. 

Melissa tugged the yearbook away from Stiles. “I’m telling you this for your own good. Go with Lydia tomorrow.” 

“I won’t do that if I’m needed here. And if Scott is needed here, then I’m needed here.” Stiles looked over at Scott. “What the hell am I forgetting?” 

Scott frowned. “Your Adderall?” He tried carefully. 

Stiles snorted. “That was really cute, Scott. Hilarious, in fact. When’s your stand-up debut?” 

Melissa had felt especially sensitive about Stiles’ temperament ever since he - although possessed at the time - had mocked her for feeling compassion toward him. She set a bottle of water down by him and nudged his shoulder. “Drink this. Relax. You’re thinking too hard and that’s what’s making you miss something.” 

Stiles glanced up at her, then nodded and took a drink from the bottle. He set it down and twisted the cap back onto the top. His eyes closed and he breathed in and out slowly. He remembered his confusion as Deaton told him that he had to be the one to manipulate the ring of mountain ash around the building. He had believed then, and in times since, that things would work out. His lips twitched as he realized that all along, despite what he had thought of himself, he had been optimistic. He took another deep breath in and out as he thought about finding answers. Jason had been killed with a wolfsbane bullet, which didn’t necessarily mean he was a werewolf, but Stiles wasn’t in the habit of believing that the least likely answer was the right one. If Jason was a werewolf, it was possible that the other Blossoms were, as well. Knowing that he needed to just call Derek and ask him what he knew, he opened his eyes and reached toward his phone, startled when it rang before he could so much as touch it. But it wasn’t Derek. It was Lydia. “Hey.” 

“We’re deferring.” Lydia’s voice shook slightly. “And you can’t defer for a semester for the FBI, you have to defer for a year. Tell Scott to do the same.” 

Stiles glanced at Scott, silently asking if his best friend was listening to Lydia’s side of the conversation. “Okay, I can do that.” He said softly. “But why are we deferring? You just said that you want to leave tomorrow and get away from here.” 

“That was before I found Boyd.” Lydia snapped. After a few seconds of silence, she sounded contrite. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to this.” 

“I’m not following this conversation very well.” Stiles remarked. “You just said you found Boyd? But he was already dead. And you’ve found dead bodies before.” 

“Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it?” Lydia scoffed. “Boyd isn’t dead. He’s alive.”


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles stared across the table at Boyd, opening and closing his mouth a few times.

Boyd calmly ate the salad that Melissa had made for him, smiling back at Stiles. 

Stiles looked over at Lydia. “You wouldn't defer when I wanted you to, an hour ago. But you’ll defer because Boyd is back?”

“Resurrection of my friend takes precedence over you interfering in a two-county investigation when you don’t have that authority.” Lydia said firmly. 

Scott was staring back and forth between the three of them, occasionally shooting bewildered looks at his mother. “I know… I know we’ve known people to ‘die’ and come back to life before…” He grimaced, thinking of Peter and Kate. “But… um…” He stopped, and sighed. “I’ve got nothing. I have absolutely nothing for this, I don’t have the slightest idea what this means or why it’s happening.”

“Which is why I want to stay here for another year.” Lydia remarked, looking at Scott. “Because I’m also at a loss.” 

Stiles stared at Lydia. “You don’t have answers?” 

“I don’t actually know everything, Stiles.” Lydia murmured, not looking back at him. 

Scott smiled over at her. “Kinda hard to remember that sometimes.” He admitted.

Lydia smiled back nervously. “When I left here, I was planning to go home and take a hot, relaxing bath. I’ve been under a lot of stress today.” She gave Stiles a pointed look. “But instead, I ended up at the cemetery.” 

Melissa’s eyes softened as she gazed at the younger woman. “And that’s where you found Boyd?” She asked, despite knowing the answer. She could tell that this new twist had rattled the redhead, just by observing the drawn expression on her face.

Lydia nodded. “If I’ve somehow become the sort of person who not only finds corpses, but finds them alive and well, I don’t know that I want to attend MIT until I have a good idea of why this is happening and how to control it.” 

Scott rubbed his thumb over his lower lip, thinking. “It could just be a new aspect of your banshee powers. You’ve got your senses honed to the point where you can narrow down when a death is coming, whether a death is possible, I mean - you can even use your scream as a weapon. So… why not the opposite? Using your senses to help discover a soul that’s been brought back to life.”

Lydia smiled slowly, but she still felt tense. “So you don’t think that I brought him back?” She glanced at Boyd.

“I think you did.” Stiles murmured. “I don’t know why you would have - no offense, Boyd.” 

“Offense taken, anyway.” Boyd said dryly. 

Scott palmed his face. “I think… that if you were the one that brought him back, there would have been a part of you that would’ve been aware of it.” He told her, and looked at Boyd as well. “What do you remember? Is there anything that stood out to you? Or did your consciousness just go from… um, blank to… there?”

“Pretty much, that’s how it went.” Boyd agreed. “I appreciate this.” He gestured to the empty bowl and smiled at Melissa. “I just want to get home now, though. I have to talk to my mom and figure out what I’m doing now that I'm here.” 

Melissa smiled gently at him. “It’s not a problem. And that’s fair. You… might want to bring one of these with you, though.” She indicated the trio. “Just to sort of… help explain certain things along. Like… werewolfiness?” She peered at him curiously. “Or the fact that, you know… you were alive, and then… not, and then alive again.”

Boyd frowned at Stiles, gave Scott a considering look, then turned toward Lydia. “You could probably explain it the best.” He got up, waiting for her. 

Lydia pushed her chair back and got up. She leaned down to kiss Stiles. “I need to talk to you alone, when we have a chance.” 

Stiles nodded, smiling back at her. “I’ll probably be at home by the time you get done over there.” 

“Okay.” Lydia left the house with Boyd. 

Melissa carried the bowl and fork to the sink, wondering if she should intervene. She had tried to warn Stiles earlier, and he didn’t want to listen. But Melissa knew what was coming and she knew what the fallout was bound to be like. She might not be so great at the werewolf stuff, but she knew what a broken heart was like. 

Scott dropped his head down against the table and sighed. “Holy crap, man.” He murmured, staring blankly at the table top. “Boyd’s alive. I don’t… how does that even… I mean, I’m pretty sure he didn’t mentally manipulate Lydia like Peter did to come back to life.” He sighed. “I don’t… Yeah, I still have nothing.”

“I don’t know, but I don’t really care.” Stiles leaned back in his chair. “I’m not here to deal with Boyd being back, I’m here to figure out who killed Jason Blossom and why.” 

Scott rubbed at the back of his neck. “But it’s weird, right? I mean…” His gaze went distant as he thought. “I mean… Jason died. And… barely any time later, Lydia’s sense drags her to the graveyard, and she finds Boyd. Alive. After sustaining some pretty fatal chest wounds.”

“It’s definitely weird.” Stiles agreed. “And I do have some concern about it, it’s just that I have other stuff now that I’m worried about.” 

Melissa sighed and turned around. “Stiles...” She hesitated. “Um...” 

Scott glanced at his mother in concern. “Is something wrong?” He asked her, furrowing his brows. 

“I’m not sure I should say.” Melissa began. “It’s probably not my place to say anything. And I might be wrong, anyway. I don’t know Lydia well enough to say for certain.” 

Scott blinked and glanced at Stiles before looking back at Melissa. “What's wrong with Lydia?” He asked carefully. 

“Nothing is wrong with Lydia. Lydia is amazing. And a genius. And she’s beautiful.” Stiles folded his arms across his chest. 

“When a woman wants to talk to a guy alone, it’s not to tell him that she likes the way things have been going.” Melissa said gently. 

Scott frowned at her. “But… she kissed him.” He pointed out. “And she totally cares about him. I mean, Mom, you weren't there, you didn't see how upset she was about Stiles. She loves him.”

“Love isn’t always enough.” Melissa looked around, then went up to her bedroom. 

“If Lydia is going to break up with me, should I break up with her, first?” Stiles gave Scott a puzzled look. “I’m not entirely stupid about this, I broke up with Malia because she knew I was dealing with things and instead of talking to me, she just let me suffer. Is that what I’m doing to Lydia?” 

Scott looked back at Stiles helplessly. “I don’t know. I don’t think so? I mean, she’s still kissing you, right? That’s a good thing. If she was completely prepared to break up with you, wouldn’t she be, like… avoiding touching you at every turn?”

“I’ve never had Lydia break up with me before, this is different territory. Maybe there is something, though. I mean, Jason’s murdered and Boyd comes back? Are they connected somehow?” Stiles was trying not to think about Lydia telling him she didn’t want to see him anymore, but the thought was in his head and he stared at Scott. “Oh my god, what if Lydia breaks up with me?” 

Scott put his hand gently on Stiles’ shoulder. “She wouldn't. She couldn't. She cares about you, man. It's like I just told Mom… you didn't see her when we were trying to find you. When she finally had all of her memories of you. She was devastated when she realized she hadn't told you she loved you back.” He shook his head. “I've never seen her so upset. She wouldn't break up with you after that. There's no way.”

“Then what the hell does ‘I need to talk to you’ mean? Didn’t Allison ‘need to talk’ to you about three times?” Stiles demanded. “Always when she wanted to break up, right?” 

Scott frowned, looking down. “Well, yeah… but Lydia isn't Allison, Stiles. It could be something else. Something else completely.”

“All I know is that I can’t lose her.” Stiles bit his lip. “You know? I can’t. It’s not even... it’s not about some idea I had when we were kids. Not anymore. It’s different now.” 

Scott hugged him gently. “I know, Stiles. I know. She's more now. What you have - it's more.” He smiled softly. “I get it.”

“The other thing is... I was resigned to leaving tomorrow.” Stiles snorted. “And then she called and said we all need to stay here another year. And I haven’t made any phone calls or written any emails yet, I could still go. Maybe I should.” 

Scott cleared his throat. “I'm not going to say yes you should, or no you shouldn't.” He said softly. “I'm trying not to be selfish because I know I was telling you that you should go with Lydia if she was leaving, but then she said she was staying and that you should too, and I almost flipped my shit because yes. I'm not entirely sure I want to leave Beacon Hills yet, dude.”

“I was terrified of losing you.” Stiles admitted. “Because my dad doesn’t have any friends from high school left, and I’ve done the research into the statistics. TV shows have been lying to us for years. People don’t stay in touch, they don’t meet up at least once a week to hang out. Let’s be clear about this, all right? If it wasn’t for you being my friend, I wouldn’t have had any friends in high school. The friends I have now? I got them through you. But then I pretty much did lose you for three months and I knew that it would be okay, we would still talk, even if you had completely forgotten me. Even if I lost track of time and thought only a couple of days had passed instead of three months. So I know that if Lydia stays now, and I go, and you don’t see me again until Christmas? That’s okay. Because it’s not like we won’t talk. We’ll talk all the time.” 

Scott smiled weakly, and then a little more broadly, but nodded firmly in agreement. “Yeah, we do. And we will. But you're…” he exhaled on a laugh. “You're Stiles. God. I don't know why I'm worried about us at all. We’ve been friends since we were kicking sand at each other, and college on different coasts sure as hell wouldn't come in between us if nothing else could.”

“So I’m going, then.” Stiles said quietly, exhaling shakily. 

Scott gulped, biting down on his lower lip and staying silent. Sighing shakily a moment later, he blurted, “Do you have to?”

“No, but I think that if I don’t go, I won’t ever go.” Stiles admitted. “And I can help more in an official kind of way if I get the training.” 

Scott rubbed at his face, trying to force himself to keep from crying. “Well, yeah, if you want that sort of thing.” He shrugged, letting out a shaky laugh. Squeezing his eyes shut, he threw his arms around Stiles. “Christ, I don’t know if I can do this. I’m gonna miss you. I’m gonna miss you so much.”

Stiles hugged Scott in return. “I’m going to miss you, too. But you won’t be alone. You’ve got the younger pack members, and Lydia and Boyd. You’re going to be fine.” 

Scott buried his face in Stiles’ shoulder, breathing out shakily. “If you think so.” He said softly.

“I know you will.” Stiles pulled back to look at Scott. “You handled two years without me. Well, kind of without me.” 

Scott snorted. “That was then.” He murmured. “This is now, man. We’re different now.”

“I kind of want to think that we’re better.” Stiles teased. 

Scott grinned at him fondly. “We’re so much better.” He agreed.

“I’ve got to go home and pack at least enough to get me through four months.” Stiles smiled as he stood up. “Are you going to say goodbye to me at the airport, or is that weird? I mean, I guess I’m flying out now, since Lydia won’t be driving me and I don’t think the Jeep can handle going across the country.” 

Scott rubbed at the back of his neck, exhaling softly. “I’ll take you to the airport.” He said quietly. “Of course I wouldn’t let you go there by yourself, man.”

*****

Stiles set his suitcase near the front door and walked into the kitchen. He was normally cautious about what his dad ate, but tonight he was too tired and addled to think of a healthy meal he could cook. He had ordered a pizza, instead. He grabbed a slice for himself and sat down at the table.

John blinked as he stared at Stiles, and then stared at the pizza. “Is this a thing we’re doing now?” He asked, looking confused. “I get pizza and you don't rag on me about my health?”

“Just for tonight, because I’m leaving tomorrow.” Stiles explained. “I was, and then I wasn’t, and then I was, and then I wasn’t. Now I am, again. It’s been a long day.” 

John smiled sympathetically, reaching out to place his hand lightly on the back of Stiles’ neck. “I can imagine.” He murmured. “I'm proud of you, Stiles. I know I've said it already, and you're probably sick of it, but I am. I am so damn happy for you.”

“You might not be.” Stiles shrugged. “Because Lydia was demanding that I go with her. Nicely, but she was. And then I figured I’d go, because she wanted to. And then she decided she’s staying here another year. I’m still going.” 

John frowned. “Why would I not be happy with you for that? I'm glad that you figured things out with Lydia. But what you want should matter, Stiles. If what you want involves leaving Beacon Hills and going to George Washington, then… that's what it involves.” He shrugged. “Simple as that.”

Stiles smiled. “I think I’m going to have to break up with her, though? I mean, the long distance thing... it’s a little scary, but I don’t think it’s fair to make her wait four months for me.” 

John was silent for a moment, thinking. “Don't make any hasty decisions.” He said eventually, kindly. “You said she changed her mind before. She might change it again for all you know. And at least give it some time. Try it before you both decide that it isn't something the two of you can do.”

“Okay.” Stiles nodded. “It’s weird, I guess. I’m so used to every decision being life or death, and this isn’t one of them. I just don’t want her feeling like she has to wait for me.” He repeated. “Because she deserves to be happy.” 

John smiled at him, patting his face gently. “So do you, son.” He reminded him quietly. “Just keep that in mind.”

Lydia let herself into the house, a habit she had been encouraged to develop since before she had begun dating Stiles. She set a small bottle of wine on the table and sat down beside Stiles, leaning against him. “Scott told me that you’re leaving in the morning.” She said quietly. “Don’t be angry with him, he didn’t mean to say it. He thought we had already spoken about it. I’m sorry I kept changing my mind today. I’m not so sure I’m ready to go. I was, and I was looking forward to us being on the other side of the country together, even though we wouldn’t actually be together. In proximity. But I know this is something you’ve wanted your whole life.” 

“I’ve wanted you my whole life.” Stiles countered, not the least bit concerned that he was being sappy in front of his dad. “So having to choose this over you, it’s just...” He grimaced. “I always figured I’d kind of follow you around and be the one cheering you on while you did great things. I didn’t think that wanting to do great things myself would mean I had to go without seeing you.” 

John stayed quiet, observing his son and the girl he loved. He took a step backward and leaned against the wall before slowly slipping around the corner, in an attempt to give them privacy to talk.

“I can come visit.” Lydia looked up at Stiles. “At least once a month, maybe. I can keep working and earn more money for plane tickets. But if you’re trying to break up with me, don’t. I’m a little tired of ending relationships because someone leaves or dies.” 

“I want you to be happy.” Stiles repeated the same thing he had told his father, that he had been telling everyone all night. “That’s all.” 

“Well, I am.” Lydia put her chin down on Stiles’ shoulder. “I only need two years of college, deferring won’t hurt me. It might not be a good idea for Scott, but I’ll help him somehow. Online courses. As long as he doesn’t leave town. I need his help in this.” 

“But not mine?” Stiles felt a little jealous of Scott, and not for the first time. But he understood Lydia’s reasoning. If the situation was reversed in any way, Stiles would have chosen Scott to help him out and tried to convince Lydia to go pursue her goals. 

“You can help me more by doing what you know you need to do.” Lydia insisted. “And we’ll keep you informed about anything happening out here.” 

Stiles tilted his chair back, keeping an arm around Lydia to prevent her from falling. “Dad, get back in here, please?” 

John stepped back into the room, raising a curious eyebrow at them both as he tilted his head. He sat down at the table, smiling softly at them both. “I was trying not to listen.” He said, and then shrugged. “I mean, I could still hear, but I was trying to give you some privacy.”

“Thank you.” Lydia glanced at the wine bottle, but decided not to draw attention to the fact that she had managed to buy alcohol. She had intended to have a drink or two with Stiles, but she didn’t feel like mentioning that, either. 

John looked down at the table, smiling faintly. “I’m not going to ask how you did it, but I can see that you want some.” He murmured. “You’re not legally allowed to drink yet, but… you are adults, and frankly, I always thought it was stupid that you could sign up to risk your life in the Army at eighteen, but not be allowed to get drunk off your ass.” He looked at Stiles. “Though god knows it never stopped this one.” He stood with a smile and went into the kitchen before returning with a corkscrew and a few glasses. He set one down in front of his son and another in front of Lydia. 

Lydia smiled and lifted her glass, taking a sip. “I’ve never allowed myself to get drunk.” She mused. “I don’t know that I’ll ever feel a need for it.” 

“I’ve had plenty of reasons.” Stiles shrugged. 

“I imagine you did.” John murmured. “Alright. Well, I think I’m going to have a slice or two, and then actually give you two some privacy for the night.” He smiled crookedly, tugged at the aforementioned slices of pizza and then stood, placing them in a plate. Lifting it with one hand, he brought his other hand down gently on Stiles’ head, and then pressed a light kiss to the top of Lydia’s head. “Have a good night, you two.”

“Good night, Dad.” Stiles waited until his dad was gone before he kissed Lydia. Public displays of affection had never bothered him, but he was trying to be respectful instead of acting like an octopus. “I love you.” He said quietly. “I’m probably going to cry tomorrow. I don’t want you to make fun of me.” He smiled sheepishly. 

“I’ll try to contain myself.” Lydia remarked, rolling her eyes before she smiled and kissed Stiles again. “You’re going to make everyone around you reconsider their life goals while you’re gone. You’re better than them.” 

“You don’t even know those people.” Stiles laughed. “You can’t just say that.” 

“I know you. That’s exactly what gives me motivation to say it.” Lydia put her arms around Stiles’ neck. “Can we just go up to your room for the rest of the night, now?” 

“Absolutely.” Stiles grabbed both wine glasses and followed Lydia up the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to note that these first few chapters are a little anachronistic, in relation to the _Riverdale_ canon. During this chapter, Betty is supposed to be avoiding Archie and Veronica, after what happened at Cheryl's party. Instead, just assume that this is an AU where they didn't attend her party. Seriously, they don't like her, there was no reason for them to be there, and the way Betty felt was over in two seconds. So we're skipping that. 
> 
> Also, dialogue in the series indicates that Cheryl and Jason are juniors or seniors, but Cheryl was in the same science class as the sophomores, so we're ignoring that detail, too. The Blossom twins are sixteen here.

Lydia was quiet on the drive back to Beacon Hills, from Redding. Stiles’ half-whispered goodbyes had made her feel like she couldn’t speak. She glanced over at Scott, in the passenger seat, and exhaled slowly. “He’ll call us as soon as the plane lands.” She remarked, needing to reassure herself, as much as Stiles’ best friend. “We just need to find a way to kill a few hours.” 

“I'm guessing you don't mean wallowing in sadness.” Scott quipped, huffing out a shaky laugh. He rubbed a hand over his eyes and sniffed. “I really kind of thought he was going to change his mind again.”

“I wouldn’t have let him.” Lydia shook her head. “I used to be so angry at Jackson for leaving and it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t do anything about it. Stiles could have stayed, but if anything happened to him here, I would never forgive myself.” 

Scott nodded, wiping his eyes again. “I'm happy for him.” He decided, nodding firmly. “I'm… I mean, I'm miserable now that he’s gone, but I'm so happy that he gets to do this. And I'm… kind of amazed that my dad was able to let up on his Stiles hate long enough to offer this to him.”

Lydia glanced over at Scott. “Those three months without him were harder for you than they were for me, weren’t they?” She asked softly, then eyed the stoplight in front of her and changed lanes. 

Scott looked over at her helplessly. “I called him my brother. He stepped in gasoline, with a lit flare for me.” His face scrunched up, and he inhaled shakily before letting it out again. “How could I possibly forget him like that? How could I do that to him?”

“We all did it to him. It wasn’t our fault, it was someone else, manipulating us.” Lydia glanced over at Scott. “I’m not going back to Beacon Hills yet, I’m taking you to a place in Riverdale that I know makes great milkshakes.” 

Scott nodded slowly. “Okay.” He said softly. He straightened in his seat, trying to get his emotions under control. He hadn't expected to lose it so severely when Stiles left - he'd been quietly crying since just before Stiles had boarded the plane. “Maybe we can get an idea of the people in town while we’re there, too. See if Jason’s death and Boyd’s… I don't know, rebirth? If they're connected.”

“I was thinking that, too.” Lydia nodded. She pressed her lips together and tried for her best hopeful smile. “I feel guilty. I kept wondering last night why it was Boyd who got to return, and not...” She took a deep breath. “Not Allison.” 

Scott faltered. “Whatever - whatever brought him back… Must have had its reasons for not choosing her instead.” He said softly. “I'm not regretting it. Having Boyd back is… amazing. Miraculous.”

“But if we find out how this is happening and I can figure out a way to bring her back, I might do it.” Lydia admitted, parking in front of the diner and turning toward Scott. “I know how that makes me sound. I’m not advocating murder. But if there’s someone who is maybe terminally ill or only alive through the use of machines, I just think we should consider them as an option to bring her back. I never expected to hear myself say something like this. Two years ago, I didn’t even know that werewolves were real. Now I’m prepared to ease someone along, to bring my friend back.” 

Scott stayed quiet. He missed Allison dearly - and it seemed like the darkness in Beacon Hills had only gotten even darker from the day she'd died. He couldn't blame Lydia for wanting her back - he did, too. But advocating it, and what it might entail, said more about who he might be as a a person than he was comfortable admitting out loud. 

Lydia felt even more nervous when she realized Scott wasn’t going to respond. She got out of the car, closing her door a little more forcefully than she had intended, and walked around the front of it and into the diner. Not for the first time in her life, conversation stopped around her, and she ignored the stares as she walked toward a booth near the back of the diner. It was even smaller than the diners in Beacon Hills, but Lydia suspected that had been an intentional way to keep crowds of teenagers out. Most of the customers were senior citizens or truck drivers, but she had paid careful attention to a booth full of younger teenagers as she passed them. Two years earlier and seven miles to the east, they could have been her, Allison, Jackson and Scott. Or any other combination of people she had known back then. 

Scott slowly got out of the car and followed Lydia in, cupping her elbow gently and ignoring everyone else as he drew her toward a table. “Hey. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad or anything. That… that sort of thought takes a lot of… Um, thought.” He made a face at his words, but shook his head and drew her into a hug. “I want her back, too. Enough that… I can easily ignore what might have to happen, if it's the only way to get her back. And I feel ashamed of myself for it, because what if she's…” He swallowed thickly. “What if she's happy? Where she is? She was so good, Lydia. She had her problems, but she was so good.”

Lydia nodded, getting choked up as she rested her cheek on Scott’s shoulder. “I know she was. I miss her every day. But Boyd didn’t seem upset about being back. Maybe Allison won’t mind.” 

“But she might.” Scott said gently, peering down at her with soft eyes. “If she's really… She might resent us. Lydia, I don't think I could…” His arms clenched around her. “I don't think I could live with myself.”

“Then we won’t do it.” Lydia said softly, but she felt sick at the idea of not even trying. “I don’t want you to suffer for this.” 

Scott pulled back a little to gaze at her. He reached a hand up and brushed her hair back from her face, sighing. “But this affects you, too.” He said softly. “And I can tell you want to. I just…” He bit his lower lip. “Let's give it a little bit of time. Until we understand exactly what's happening, okay? Until we have an idea of what's causing it. And… We do our research. I don't… I don't want her dragged out of any sort of paradise she might be living in.” He studied her, his eyes flitting all over her face searchingly. “Deal?”

Lydia smiled hesitantly and nodded. “Okay.” She agreed. She felt more vulnerable than she had in a long time, and she glanced around before she sat down in a booth and picked up a menu. 

Scott looked around awkwardly as well before he sat down across from Lydia and mimicked her. He couldn't understand why he always seemed to be at his most vulnerable around her, but he didn't resent it. If anything, it comforted him - he knew she was always there for him.

“Is it just me, or does this town seem almost like time forgot about it?” Lydia asked softly, glancing over the top of her menu at Scott. “It reminds me of Canaan, except a lot of people live here.” 

Scott frowned, nodding slowly. “You're not wrong.” He murmured. “I mean… Some things are up to date, but… we passed a drive in on our way here. I didn't even know there still were drive ins.”

“You never went while you lived out here?” Lydia glanced around the diner once more, then looked at Scott. She didn’t want to examine it too closely, she knew it was because she already felt lonely, but she was thinking about what it had felt like to kiss Scott when they were sophomores. She knew it wasn’t fair to Stiles that she already missed him and wanted to distract herself from feeling that way.

Scott tilted his head, looking a little embarrassed. “My mom and dad were fighting everyday. When they weren't, it was because one of them was working.” He cleared his throat. “I wasn't… I missed Beacon Hills. I didn't have friends here. None that lasted, anyway.”

“I don’t want to go home.” Lydia said suddenly, but she didn’t have time to elaborate, taking a deep breath and smiling politely at the waitress who had practically materialized beside their booth. “Hi. We’ll have two milkshakes. I’ll have a peanut butter shake, and...” She looked at Scott. “What do you want?” 

Scott blinked at her, and then looked up at the waitress, looking startle. “Uh. Oh. I'll have… the double chocolate. Wait. No, the strawberry.” He cringed. “I'm sorry. Um. Can I get them swirled?”

Hermione raised her eyebrow in amusement, but started writing down the request. “I don't see why not. Anything else for you two?”

Scott was silent for a moment, and then cleared his throat and looked at Lydia before saying softly, “Curly fries. If you have them.”

Lydia laughed. “Yes, those.” She agreed. When they were alone again, she smiled hesitantly. “What I was saying before was that the idea of going home and having to deal with how quiet it is... I don’t want to. I love Stiles, but he makes so much noise. It’s like he’s allergic to silence. And I got too used to it. Having to be in a quiet house feels wrong.” 

Scott huffed a soft laugh, nodding. “You're right.” He rubbed his face, shaking his head. “I don't want to go back either, but… I think we have to.”

“Yeah, I know we do.” Lydia glanced at the table full of teenagers. “I know one of them was just murdered, but I almost envy them.” She remarked. “They don’t know what we know.” 

Scott hummed. “I don't think anyone knows what we know. I don't think anyone would want to, honestly.” His eyes rested on her for a long moment before averting and staring at the table. 

Lydia laughed. “That’s an understatement.” She scoffed. “I can’t believe you’ve never been to a drive-in. Maybe we should. The sign said it was closing soon.” 

Scott sat up. “It did? I didn't see that.” He furrowed his brows. “I don't see why we couldn't. It could be fun. I think we deserve a little bit of fun after today.”

“Okay, we’ll go tonight. That gives us enough time to talk to people that might have known Jason, to see what exactly they knew about him.” Lydia reasoned. She pressed her lips together and glanced down at her fingernails, trying to get a better handle on her emotions. If she had been a werewolf, she had a feeling that she would have been shifted and unable to shift back. 

Scott reached out without thinking and gently placed his hands above hers, squeezing gently. “We can do this. You're a certified genius, and I have puppy dog eyes. No one will be able to tell us no.” He smiled softly at her. 

Lydia smiled back as she glanced up at him. “That wasn’t what was bothering me at all, but I think you’re right. We’re going to prove to be an unstoppable force.” 

Scott cleared his throat, ducking his head with a grin. “You bet your ass we will.”

“I think the teenagers in the booth up there are a good start, maybe.” Lydia suggested. “Um, blonde ponytail and hipster hat keep staring at us.” 

“Hipster hat…” Scott frowned, and promptly turned around to look in the direction of the only teens in the shop before looking back at Lydia. “You don't think we’ll have a problem getting them to talk?”

Lydia started to shake her head, then hesitated. “Maybe we’ll have to lie a little?” 

Scott grinned at her. “That I can do.” He reassured her, looking up when the waitress returned with their milkshakes and a large plate of curly fries. His eyes went wide. “Holy crap, Stiles would lose his mind if he saw this.“ He breathed. 

Lydia took a picture of the plate, and Scott seated across from her, sending it to Stiles. ‘We miss you already. You probably won’t even see this for hours.’ She sipped her drink. “I’m going to say that I’m new. Or that we are?” She shrugged. “You know, that might actually work. I’m sure Stiles’ father would find a way to get us the identification we need, to prove we’re high school students. It’s not like we’ve been out of school that long, and we won’t even have to worry about grades or attendance, this time around.” 

Scott thought for a moment. “We could have him speak to the principal, maybe. Let him know that we’re going undercover - not even the teachers would have to know. Or maybe they would? So we’d be introduced as new students, but no grading, yeah. Or worrying about attendance. Hopefully there aren't any… Harris-esque teachers around the high school here.”

Lydia blinked. “I keep forgetting that you and Stiles had a problem with him. I didn’t. For now, we’ll just say we’re new students. If John doesn’t agree to this, then it’s not as though we’ll have to see anyone here again.” She got up from their booth and walked over to the teens she had been observing since she walked in. “Hi, I’m Lydia.” She smiled at them. “I was wondering-” 

“No, I was wondering.” Kevin interjected. “Where you’re from, because I would have remembered someone like you being here when I moved here, a few years ago.” He moved further into the booth, gesturing to the empty space. “Sit. Tell us everything. Please. I’m Kevin, and these people are Betty, Veronica, Archie, and Jughead.” 

Lydia laughed and sat down. She had noticed him looking at Scott more than he had looked at her, but he reminded her of the way Stiles had been when he was a sophomore. This, she could definitely handle. She wasn’t sure what to think of the hipster with the weird nickname, but the idea of being the new girl had always sort of intrigued her. She never had been, and Allison had dozens of stories about schools she had attended. 

Scott tilted his head in confusion. “Jughead?” He asked curiously, and then couldn’t help grinning. “You don’t happen to have a mostly unpronounceable real first name, do you?”

“That’s a weird question.” Jughead shrugged. “It’s not hard to pronounce, I just don’t like being called Forsythe.” 

“My boyfriend hates his first name, too.” Lydia explained. “So he goes by a nickname.” 

Scott shrugged. “I like saying his name. I can pretend I’m trilingual that way.” He grinned at Lydia.

Lydia smiled back, then felt the need to clarify, for the teens with curious expressions. “He went to college, and then Scott’s mom and my mom transferred for work, out here. We’re living in Beacon Hills, but I heard that the high school there is a nightmare. This one seemed safer. Except... is it true that someone got murdered out here?” 

Betty hesitated, trying to resist the urge to bite her lower lip. She tapped her fingers on the countertop, then exhaled heavily and nodded. “Yes. It is. It’s… this has never happened here before.”

Scott straightened, frowning at her. “Never? That’s… odd. You mean, never to anyone you know?”

Betty shook her head. “I mean _never_. The only deaths we’ve ever have in Riverdale have been from old age, or… health problems, or… car accidents. There’s never been a… murder.”

Lydia glanced at Scott, then turned toward Betty. “What about the school? Is there anyone I should avoid?” 

“Cheryl Blossom.” Betty replied promptly, her lips pressed firmly together. “And the upper echelon of the football team.”

“Football is a big deal here? Not lacrosse?” Lydia looked at Scott again, eyeing him critically as she tried to picture him playing football. 

Scott looked back at her, and then snorted. “Not happening.”

Betty frowned. “Yeah. Unfortunately, football isn’t just a big deal - it’s like… I don’t know. A religion, almost.”

“That’s what lacrosse was like for us, at our old school.” Lydia did a double take at the way that Kevin was openly staring at her. “Yes?” 

“I’m sorry, it’s just that you look like a teacup Cheryl Blossom, but you’re definitely nicer than she is.” Kevin blurted. “I’m kind of trying to figure out if you’ll fit in my locker and give me advice whenever I ask.” 

“Put me in your locker and I’ll punch you in the throat,” Lydia remarked. “But I’m good at giving advice.” 

Scott rubbed a hand over her back soothingly. “I’m not sure who Cheryl Blossom is? But I’m guessing she’s, uh… not pleasant?”

“She’s a rude bitch.” Veronica said bluntly. “She thinks she owns this town.” 

Scott nodded at her, tapping his nose. “Gotcha. Spoiled as hell, wants to be in charge of everything, plans to destroy anyone who doesn’t agree with her views?”

Betty blinked at him. “Um… pretty much, yeah.”

“So, me, circa twenty-eleven.” Lydia remarked. “I used to be like that.” 

“Me too.” Veronica smiled. “I’m glad I’m not anymore. And also that I’m not the only new student. School just started and I was kind of afraid I wouldn’t have any friends, but it looks like I was wrong about that. Thankfully.” 

“We have to go take care of some things.” Lydia murmured. “But... here.” She got her phone out of her purse as she gave her number to everyone. “Text me with your names, so I don’t get mixed up, and I’ll save everything.” 

Scott nodded a long for a moment. “Oh, right.” He said, blinking, and followed Lydia’s lead. “I mean, I guess you could reach me through Lydia, but just in case she doesn’t pick up or answer, here you go.” He passed his number out as well.

Betty gave him a small smile, glancing briefly at Archie. “Thanks.” She murmured.

Archie smiled tensely back at Betty. He wasn’t sure what more he could say to her, he didn’t want to hurt her more than he already had, but he didn’t want to be with her and he worried that he had somehow given her false hope. “Oh, uh, yeah. Thank you. And we’ll see you.” He sent a text to Lydia and Scott as they got up from the booth. ‘Hi, this is Archie.’ 

Lydia sent a response of ‘Thanks’ to Archie, then turned toward Scott after she sat down in their booth. She wanted to ask what he thought of everyone, but she knew it would be better to wait until they were away from Riverdale. And now that the image of Scott in a football uniform was in her head, it wouldn’t go away. She took a deep breath, acknowledging to herself that she had once, and maybe still did, find Scott attractive. But she could think someone was hot without wanting to act on it. She just seemed to be having trouble remembering that, all of a sudden. 

Scott was silent and firmly concentrating on his milkshake before he looked up at Lydia. After a moment, he texted her, double-checking to make sure he wasn’t responding to someone by accident. ‘I don’t think I like Archie.’ He grimaced.

‘Seconded.’ Lydia replied. ‘He barely said two words and looks like he doesn’t want to be here.’ She dumped the curly fries into a to-go box and got up. “Come on, let’s pay and get out of here. We need to go talk to John and figure out what we’re doing before tonight.” 

Scott nodded and swiped his milkshake before picking Lydia’s up in his other hand. “I’m stealing a sip.” He told her. “Fair warning.”

Lydia laughed. “Go ahead, I don’t even like peanut butter milkshakes. I got it because that’s what Stiles always gets.” 

“Aw, Lyds.” Scott said softly, smiling at her. He gently brushed his shoulder against hers and lifted the straw to his lips, sucking at it.

Lydia was definitely starting to regret that she and Stiles had spent the night before cuddling instead of having sex. She pressed her lips together and walked over to the register to pay for their meal. 

Scott followed after her, wordlessly offering her a sip of the chocolate-strawberry shake he’d gotten. He wasn’t sure why she’d gone silent, but he figured it mostly had something to do with Stiles.

Lydia leaned toward Scott, taking a sip of the shake he offered her. “I should have gotten this one, definitely.” She murmured. “I’ll know better, next time. I think maybe you should talk to John. I have to take care of some things.” She really hoped he wouldn’t press her for more information, she might be too tempted to be honest. 

Scott stared at her, blinking rapidly. He only heard snippets of what she’d said, but managed to put together enough to understand. A second later, he thrust the milkshake toward her. “You can have it!” He blurted. “I mean - really, I’ll take the peanut butter one, I like peanut butter.”

Lydia stared back at Scott. “What exactly just happened?” She frowned. She hated feeling confused, and she definitely felt that way now. 

“I… am not entirely sure.” Scott admitted, moving to rub a hand across his face before remembering that he was holding a cup. He glared down at it. “Damn it. Let’s just go home, Lyds. I’ll talk to John… maybe later we can come to the drive in. Unless you don’t want to anymore.”

“I want to.” Lydia said softly, worried that she had somehow offended Scott. She was also a little terrified, as she walked to her car, that Scott might tell Stiles about this, and her practically blatant admission that she was going home to masturbate. She knew that Stiles and Scott had the sort of friendship that enabled them to say whatever they were thinking, to one another. But she and Scott weren’t on that same level. Maybe he had misunderstood and thought she was trying to give him a subtle invitation. Maybe she wasn’t so sure she hadn’t been doing exactly that. She groaned as she sat down in the car, gripping the steering wheel and staring out through the windshield as she wished that she was miles away, heading toward MIT. But she had already sent off her request to postpone attending classes there. 

Scott breathed out a sigh of relief and followed her outside. He slid into the car, giving her a small, tentative smile. “Okay. Good. I’m glad. I really… I really do think it could do us some good, Lyds.”

“So do I.” Lydia glanced over at Scott. “But you don’t think it’s going to be weird, going to school here?” She started the car and drove away from the diner. 

“Well… of course I think it’s going to be weird.” Scott murmured, twisting a little to look at her properly. “I mean, we just graduated, we know we’re done, and we’re willingly going back to high school to solve a murder.” He blinked, and then lit up. “Oh my god, we could be a Hollywood movie, Lyds.”

Lydia laughed. “Where do you think I got the idea? Stiles made me watch a lot of those horrible cop movies, and I felt like I might as well, as some kind of karmic retribution for having made Jackson sit through The Notebook repeatedly.” She paused, feeling a little silly as she tilted her head and feigned the same sort of tone she used when she was an actual sophomore. “Do you think that new clothes can qualify as a business expense?” 

Scott snorted out a laugh. “I think that they can if you want them to be.” He teased her. “And I wasn’t even thinking of Stiles’ goofy cop movies, honestly.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I was thinking of Never Been Kissed? Except neither of us are reporters. And both of us have kissed. I mean - been kissed. Not each - or, yes, each other.” His face flushed red.

“Well, you’re single.” Lydia mused, ignoring the way she wanted to react. “You could date whoever you wanted. I think there’s probably a moral quandary about having sex with someone while you’re pretending to be someone you’re not, but I don’t think kissing is necessarily crossing a line.” 

Scott fidgeted in his seat, plucking at the seatbelt distractedly. “Point.” He murmured, turning his head to look out the window. He was starting to find himself more and more relieved that Stiles had left, because he knew that if his best friend could see how stupidly Scott was behaving around Lydia right now, there would be a meltdown. Or a confrontation. Likely both. 

Lydia took a deep breath at a red light, quickly calculating how many days there were until Stiles would return. “One hundred and twenty-three. I should get my part-time job back.” She looked over at Scott, then made a decision. If she and Stiles could have some sort of temporary hold on their relationship, it wouldn’t be the same as breaking up, and she wouldn’t feel so guilty or lonely as she thought about how long it would be until she saw him again. If that meant she might end up with Scott, the three of them would need to have a talk. But attraction wasn’t something that she and Scott had to act on, no matter how strongly they might feel it. 

Scott looked back at her and smiled carefully. “It couldn’t hurt.” He said. “It would be something to do to pass the time until you can go to MIT.”

“And keep me busy when I’m not in classes at Riverdale.” Lydia pointed out. “But I think I need to call Stiles, after I drop you off. Do you want to go to the station, or should I drop you off at Stiles’ house? You probably have John’s schedule memorized, don’t you?” 

“Mostly, yeah.” Scott nodded. “He doesn’t exactly have a set schedule, and mostly he gets called in at weird hours, but I’m pretty sure he’s got tonight off, so you can drop me off at the house.” He hummed a little and nodded to himself. “With Stiles gone, he could… probably use the company.”


	5. Chapter 5

Stiles hung up his phone and stared at it for a long moment, then called Scott and sat back against the couch in his apartment. The building was full of people in the same program as him, but he hadn’t had time to talk to them. He had called Lydia as soon as he closed his door and locked it, and he was still a little confused. 

“Hey!” Scott sounded delighted when he answered the phone. “How was the flight, man? How’s your new place?”

“The flight was long. The place is good, it’s furnished, so I don’t have to go buy stuff.” Stiles murmured, biting at his fingernail. “Hey, did Lydia say anything to you?” 

Scott frowned. “Like what? We stopped for a milkshake in Riverdale, she sent you the curly fries picture, and then she dropped me off at your dad’s.” He sighed. “We’re ‘going undercover’ as new students to try and figure out what the hell happened. Your dad’s not exactly happy with the idea but… I mean, it’s not like he can really stop us. Which sounds like such a douche thing to say, I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, no. I mean, she told me that, too.” Stiles said quickly, wanting to get to the point. “She asked me if I wanted to put a hold on our relationship. She said that if I didn’t want to be temporarily broken up, we would have to be broken up permanently. Obviously, I went with the temporary hold thing. But I don’t understand what happened. I got on the plane, she changed her mind about me as soon as it took off?” 

Scott sounded startled. “What? I don’t - no, we - I mean, we both sort of had a breakdown when you left, but it wasn’t Lydia going, ‘Nope, I quit’ or anything. She misses you already, dude, she wouldn’t just…” He exhaled. “She definitely didn’t say anything to me about this.”

“Okay. So it’s not like she was just waiting for me to get away from her, so she could see someone else.” Stiles wasn’t sure if he was relieved or more confused. “You shouldn’t need to do this for more than semester, at most. Trust Lydia to kill her boredom by going back to high school, right?” He snorted. “I told her I want her to be happy.” 

Scott smiled faintly. “I don’t think she’ll be happy until you’re back, man. Or until she can be with you.” He let out a quiet laugh. “It was actually pretty brilliant. She said she got the idea from your cop movies. But yeah, I’m hoping we won’t have to do this for longer than a semester. We just graduated, I don’t wanna go through high school all over again for any amount of time.”

“Then why did you agree to it?” Stiles laughed. 

“Because - dude, who doesn’t wanna go undercover? It legitimately sounds like something you’d do in a movie, or, like… 21 Jump Street. The TV show, not the movie. You know? It sounds so badass.” Scott laughed. “And… just because I don’t want to go through it again doesn’t mean I’d suck at it, you know? We got through high school with fifty million things trying to kill us, and we still graduated - pretending for a couple of months won’t be that big of a deal. At least the bullshit is still fresh.”

“Damn it, now I’m regretting coming out here. It would have been kind of awesome to repeat stuff we already know. I would have aced that shit.” Stiles smiled. “I wanna hear everything you guys find out, okay? And take care of Lydia for me, please? I know she doesn’t really need it, but I need to hear a yes about this.” 

Scott smiled, missing Stiles even more. “Of course it's a yes. I'll do everything I can to keep her safe. And I'll make sure you hear everything that happens. I promise.”

Stiles was quiet for a long moment. “Are you going to tell me what actually happened, now?” He asked. “Scott, I was away from her for a few hours, and you were with her for at least half of that. What’s going on?” 

“Nothing, Stiles.” Scott replied vehemently. “Nothing happened. I swear to you that nothing happened. Unless you're thinking that a hug counts as something. But she didn't say anything to me about what she was planning to tell you, and I sure as hell didn't do anything to influence her. Unless I did.” He sounded panicked. “Oh, God, what if I did? We were talking about Boyd coming back, and what would happen if Allison could be brought back, and I broke down and hugged her, and - Stiles, please, you gotta believe me, I didn't intentionally do anything. Not for that - not to make her ask you to agree to a temporary break up. I'm not - I wouldn't do that to you, I swear.”

“Okay, I’m just... trying to figure out what I missed. I guess your mom was right, yeah?” Stiles bit his lip. “Do you think she likes any of those guys you met today? Sorry I’m bombarding you with questions. I just want to know what I’m dealing with, here.” 

“No, it's okay, I understand. But no, she couldn't.” Scott said softly. “I texted her right after we walked away from the table and told her I didn't like the one guy, and she said she didn't, either. And the other guy…” He furrowed his brow and said carefully, “Um… I'm pretty sure he stared at me more than he stared at her.”

“What, like he has a crush on you, or he wants to kill you? Which look was it?” Stiles smiled, wondering if some poor, unsuspecting gay kid was falling for Scott. 

“.... Remember how Danny and Ethan used to stare at each other?” Scott asked. “Like that. But, like, not as intense?”

“Okay, that’s a crush.” Stiles laughed. “And then some. Emphasis on the ‘some.’ So this would be a good time for you to figure out if you could ever like guys.” He teased. 

Scott looked confused. “But… all I did was walk up to the table with Lydia. How do you get a crush on someone, just like that?”

“I’m going to tell you something you don’t want to hear come out of my mouth.” Stiles said carefully. “Scott, you’re a hot guy. You didn’t get girls like Allison and Kira smiling their Disney Princess smiles at you because you look like Quasimodo. Obviously, this guy thinks you’re adorable. And for the record, Isaac and Danny both wanted you, too.” 

Scott flushed. “They did?” He blurted, sounding sheepish. “I didn't - I really didn't know. And, God, I know I'm not, like, completely hopeless, but I figured I just screwed up enough to look like a mildly entertaining goofball that…” He sighed. “That Allison and Kira couldn't help but like.”

“When do you start classes? Monday?” Stiles wasn’t blind, and he had seen the way that Lydia and Scott looked at each other sometimes. But he figured if they were planning to be together, they would have told him. Lydia’s ‘temporary hold’ idea gave him some hope that their relationship wasn’t over yet, and Scott had sounded almost panicked at the idea of Lydia liking him. Instead of being angry or hurt, he found himself laughing. “You’re an idiot, by the way.” He told Scott affectionately. 

“What? Why?” Scott asked petulantly, sounding confused and a little wounded. “And - yeah, Monday. I guess there's no point in deferring at this point, is there?”

“What?” Stiles rubbed his eyes. “No, dude. I meant Riverdale classes. Unless you want to take high school and college classes at the same time?” 

“Oh. No, that - that wouldn't be really smart at all, would it?” Scott grimaced. “Um, yeah, Riverdale classes should start on Monday.”

“For you guys.” Stiles said gently, shaking his head. “My dad says their school year started last week, actually. The guys that found Jason’s body went to the river after the dance. As for you being an idiot...” He thought for a long moment. “Okay. If you don’t know why I called you that by Christmas, you’re probably never going to know.” 

“Okay…” Scott said slowly, frowning. “Um. Well, just… You're still planning on coming back, right? At Christmas? Or for Thanksgiving?”

“I don’t know about Thanksgiving. But definitely Christmas. A hundred and twenty-three days until Christmas Eve, according to Lydia.” Stiles laughed. “It figures that she would keep track of that.” 

Scott grinned. “Of course she would.” He told Stiles. “I told you - she misses you. We both do.”

Stiles bit his tongue to prevent himself from correcting Scott, albeit only slightly. He tapped his fingers against his thigh. He loved Lydia and didn’t want to push Scott toward her if she wasn’t actually interested in pursuing him, but the jealousy he had once felt just at the thought of Scott kissing Lydia, and the way he had stopped himself just short of saying ‘she’s mine,’ wasn’t how he felt anymore. He nodded to himself. “Scott, have fun at the movie tonight, okay?” 

Scott nodded. “I will,” he replied, the words coming out of his mouth before he froze and realized he hadn't said anything to Stiles about going to the movies with Lydia. “Um. It's… it's at the drive in, in Riverdale. I never went when I lived there, and… um, I kinda thought it would take my mind off of how much it sucks having you on the other side of the country, you know?” He was hesitant about his words, feeling sick to his stomach. He was attracted to Lydia without a doubt, but now he was wondering if a part of him had been deliberately goading her on. Going to the movies had been her suggestion, and Scott had agreed to it. It was innocent - two friends going to the movies. But if it was so innocent, why in the hell had he not even thought to mention it to Stiles at all? Lydia must have told him, considering the fact that Stiles had mentioned it, but how did it look now that Scott hadn't said a word?

Stiles licked his lips and gave himself a moment to gather his thoughts. “I’m going to try to explain this as best as I can. My ex-girlfriend has no shame about wandering around naked. I’m talking about Malia, not Lydia. Lydia is still my girlfriend, technically, we’re just on hold. Anyway, I used to think there were things that weren't okay, like making out with the girl your best friend likes and wandering around impound lots in the nude. These past couple of years have taught me that life is way too short to dwell on a lot of the shit that bothered me. So when I’m on the other side of the country and my girlfriend asks for a sort of free pass as long as I’m gone, I know she’s not doing that to hurt me, she’s doing it so that she doesn't hurt me. Because cheating is worse.”

Scott exhaled shakily, swallowing hard. “I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want to do anything that'll hurt you. I don't want to do that to you, ever.” He sniffled, unable to completely fight back a small sob. “I'm… I don't know what I'm doing, Stiles. I don't know what I'm doing here when you aren't here with me. I'm scared of the person I'll end up becoming if I don't have you with me. I don't want to be someone who - who forgets about his best friend or - or moves in on his best friend’s girlfriend while said best friend is gone. I don't want to be someone like that. I don't want to do anything that'll - that'll end in me losing you, maybe more permanently than before. I can't handle that. I can't handle losing you.”

“I love you, too.” Stiles smiled. “I was gone for three months before, I’ll be gone for about that long now. But we’ll talk all the time. Don’t be miserable. Be happy and kick some werewolf hunter ass.”

Scott let out a soft, teary-sounding laugh. “I'll do my best.” He said softly. 

Stiles felt himself getting a little choked up, as well. But he knew he was doing the right thing. He took a deep breath. “I don’t want details.” He blurted. “Not all of the details. Just let me know what happens, yeah?” 

Scott sniffled again. “Yeah.” He agreed. “I'll - I'll tell you what I can. I love you. I'm sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” Stiles protested, laughing as he dragged his sleeve across his eyes. “Lydia is awesome, and so are you. That’s nothing to apologize for. I’d be a real dick if I made you both miserable by not being okay with this.” 

“I don't even know, it just felt like I should say it,” Scott exhaled, laughing helplessly. “And it's not even something that's guaranteed to happen, I don't even know what's happening.”

“You like her, though.” Stiles said gently. “I know you do. And she might not have you in mind, but she has someone in mind, or she wouldn’t have felt like it was necessary.” 

Scott breathed out softly. “Maybe - I don't know, Stiles. I've always liked her, it's just… it's only lately that it's felt different. Like… I don't even know where it came from.”

“Oh my god.” Stiles laughed. “Are you saying you were jealous of me? Because that’s just weird. You’re a freaking werewolf.” 

Scott grimaced. “Yeah. So? It's not like it's ever been anything to call home about, you know? You have chances that I might not ever have, as long as I'm… occasionally furry.”

“That’s not even true.” Stiles protested. “You could be a cop if you wanted to be one. You’d just have to schedule your days off around the full moon, and that’s only if you think you’ll have trouble. But I thought you wanted... are you changing your mind now about what you want to do? Is that what this whole Never Been Kissed thing is about? You want to see what being an undercover cop is like?” 

Scott shook his head, and then remembered that Stiles couldn't see him. “No, that's… a kid is dead. It doesn't really seem like anyone is really trying too hard to get down to the reasoning behind it in Riverdale. I might not have you with me, but I'm half of what made us a good team in the first place. I need to figure out the answer to this. You know? I need to get justice for this guy.” He paused. “And, you know. Pretending to be undercover might be awesome.”

“Well, you’re not pretend-” Stiles started to correct Scott, then changed his mind. “I’m going to miss out on this. I’m actually okay with it. High school sucked, I don’t want to repeat it. For you and Lydia though, it was probably awesome. Aside from almost getting murdered every week, I mean. The classes weren’t that bad. Hey, if you guys get elected Prom King and Queen, will you send me pictures?” Before he let Scott answer, almost certain that his best friend would have plenty to say about that remark, he changed the subject. “Don’t be too harsh about the Riverdale cops, they just found Jason’s body yesterday. It’s only been about twenty-four hours.” 

“I'm just used to having all of Beacon County, and your dad, and you.” Scott sighed, laughing a little. “But I promise I'll try to keep my standards at a sane level.” He sighed. “This is the sort of inane shit we’d pull to get answers when your dad won't give them to us. It's weird thinking that Lydia and I are kind of on our own in this.”

“You’re not on your own, though.” Stiles assured Scott. “You’ll have my help, just at a distance. And I’m sure the rest of the pack will help. Have you spoken to them about this?” 

Scott paused. “Um, no. Actually… No?” He grimaced. “I probably should, huh? I still haven't even talked to Derek.”

Stiles laughed. “Yeah, call everybody. I didn’t even tell them I was going. I didn’t even tell Malia. I guess it really only mattered to me that you and Lydia knew, you know? And my dad, but that’s a given.” He cleared his throat. “I have to go.” He felt awkward as he said it, and wanted to explain himself. “I’m actually going to try to make some friends around here, and I don’t think I even know how? I’m pretty sure the only reason I even got to keep you all these years is because you were really cool about the fact that I peed on your sandcastle. I don’t think that’s gonna work tonight. There’s this mixer thing in the lobby of the building and I’m hoping to at least grab a good table and let other people kind of be stuck with me. Anyway, I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? And probably text you ninety times tomorrow, before I call. But not tonight, while you’re busy. Bye, Scott.” He hung up quickly, knowing that if he didn’t, he and Scott would stay on the phone another two or three hours.


	6. Chapter 6

Lydia eyed her fake ID and laughed a little. “I have one of these that says I’m twenty-one. I never thought I’d need one to make myself younger.” She glanced over at Scott. “Thank you.” She opened her purse and dropped the ID card into it, then squirmed a little on the seat. She had come to the conclusion that her car wouldn’t work very well at the drive-in, so she had demanded that Theo let her borrow his truck, reminding him that he owed her for what he had done to her, a year earlier. It felt strange to be driving something so high up from the ground, but at least it was a pretty color.

Scott smiled at her. “No problem.” He murmured, and looked around the interior of the truck, a little confused. “How come we didn't take your car?” He asked. 

Lydia laughed. “This is why.” She slid down in her seat, tilting her head to peer out through the windshield. “This is how we would have had to watch in my car. But with Theo’s truck, we can park it backwards and sit in the back, to watch.” She sat up straight again. “Malia thinks we’re both insane for putting ourselves through even one more day of high school.” 

Scott laughed softly. “Malia thinks anything that doesn't match up with what she thinks is insane.” He leaned back and looked at Lydia. “Did we bring blankets?”

Lydia nodded. “They’re on the back seat. I didn’t want them sliding around in the back of the truck while I drove. Unless you want to drive? It doesn’t matter to me.” 

Scott grinned at her. “How comfortable are you right now behind the steering wheel of a truck?” He asked her. “If the answer is ‘not in the least little bit,’ I'll drive.”

“Then you’re driving.” Lydia looked embarrassed. She got out of the driver’s side of the truck and walked around to the passenger side. 

Scott slid out of the passenger side, grasping her hands and holding them tightly. “I'm sorry.” He said softly. “I wasn't trying to… You just kind of looked a little… nervous, you know?”

“I’m okay.” Lydia smiled. “You aren’t wrong, anyway. I don’t like the idea of driving something so high up, I’m afraid of crashing into something.” 

Scott grinned softly. “Guess I shouldn't ever surprise you with an SUV, huh?” He distractedly pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning and helping her up into the passenger seat.

Lydia fastened her seatbelt and tried to ignore how she felt about Scott’s remark, like he expected them to know each other for a long time. She smiled to herself anyway, turning her head to look at him. “How are you always so hopeful about things?” 

“I dunno.” Scott shrugged, the words slurring together, even as he grinned at her. He shut her door and went around to the driver’s side before climbing in. When he was settled, he looked over at her, his eyes warm. “Maybe because… there isn't any point in letting bad feelings take over. I mean, you can feel hopeless, yeah, but… There is always something or someone there that’ll change that. That'll make you feel that everything is going to be okay after all.”

Lydia smiled. “You make me feel like that.” She murmured. “I’ve never felt completely alone in any of this because of you. And Stiles, but... I don’t have to explain things to either of you, I don’t feel like I’m expected to know everything. Stiles is more pessimistic. Like you don’t know that.” 

Scott smiled and started the truck. “Yeah. It's why we work together so well. We balance each other out.” He hesitated, and then reached over the console, twining his fingers with hers as he began to drive. “I'm glad I could be there for you.” He said softly. “I'm glad both of us could be.”

Lydia wasn’t sure what else to say. She glanced out the window, watching the scenery for a long moment. She had explained the school situation to her mom and had to assure her that she would be safe, that she wasn’t having some kind of nervous breakdown about having graduated. She was trying to spend time with her friend, while keeping in mind that they were _only_ friends, and hopefully get to know more people in Riverdale through observation while they sat through movies that she had seen dozens of times. 

Scott was silent too, thinking that maybe he'd gone a little too far by taking her hand. But now that he was holding it, he didn't want to let go. He sighed as he stared out of the windshield, keeping quiet all the way into Riverdale. He finally let go of her when he pulled into the drive-in’s lot and reversed the truck into a spot that looked like the perfect distance between them and the screen. 

Lydia turned toward Scott as she unfastened her seatbelt. She wasn’t really used to asking guys what they thought of her, she could tell if they were interested and she did what she could to indicate whether or not she was interested in return, and let them handle asking her out. She had tried to get Jordan Parrish’s attention once or twice, but she had realized that she was neglecting taking care of her own abilities in favor of helping him develop his, and he hadn’t been all that interested, anyway. With Scott, she knew there was some kind of mutual attraction there - but she had just broken up with Stiles and didn’t want to feel like she was using Scott as a sort of rebound, like she had a couple of years earlier. She smiled hesitantly at him. “Do you want popcorn or candy, or anything? I can go get everything while you spread the blankets out. Unless you’d rather do that the other way around.” 

Scott hesitated, then grinned at her. “We could lock the truck up, go get the snacks together, and then come back and set up.” He suggested. 

“Okay.” Lydia opened her door, then turned toward Scott again. “Stiles told you that I broke up with him, didn’t he?” 

Scott cleared his throat. “He did. Um. He said temporarily?”

Lydia nodded. “Until he gets back, at least. I thought that it would be kind of weird to expect him to pretty much be single around all of the new people he’s going to meet. I won’t be there and I don’t think it’s fair to expect him to be celibate for four months.” 

“Fair enough.” Scott murmured, nodding. “So… You'll be together again when he comes home?”

Lydia pressed her lips together, thinking. “Maybe.” She said finally. “Unless he meets someone. Or unless I do.” She glanced at Scott for a long moment, then got her phone out of her purse and sent a mass text to the Riverdale teens, letting them know that she and Scott were at the drive-in. She dropped her phone back into her purse and went into the concession stand. 

Scott felt his stomach swoop as he stared after her, and then blinked, hurrying after her. “What were you in the mood for?” He asked her, cringing a little at how his words sounded. It felt like a generic throwaway line from a porno.

Lydia turned to look at Scott, tilting her head and twisting a lock of her hair around her finger as she smiled slowly. “Popcorn and a bottle of water.” She wondered how he would react if she started acting the way she used to, when she went on dates. She hadn’t actually been on a date since the night before junior year, and the realization of that made her pause. Suddenly, she wanted to go on a date again, just to have that innocent - as innocent as it could be - activity back in her life. 

Scott licked his lips and nodded. “Okay.” He murmured, staring at her almost desperately. He turned to look at the teen behind the counter. “Hey, uh - can I get an extra large popcorn and a bottle of water?” He glanced at Lydia again, and then added, “Oh, and - can I get a pack of Whoppers, and Cookie Dough Bites?”

Lydia’s playful smile softened as she stood up straight, staring at Scott. “Thank you.” 

Scott smiled back at her. “It's not a problem.” He murmured. He blinked a second later, realizing he'd forgotten to order himself a drink. “Uh, can I get a large Coke, too?” He called.

“I’ve only been to see one movie with you.” Lydia remarked. “With everyone else. And you remembered my favorite candy.” 

Scott looked over at her. “Well, it's - it's not a hard thing to forget.” He said softly. “They made you smile. It's kind of…” He took a deep breath. “It's kind of hard to ignore or forget something that makes you smile like that.”

Lydia blushed faintly and glanced away, trying to think of what to do. It would be so easy for her to make a move, but Scott was kind to everyone, and it was still possible that Lydia was misreading his intentions. For all she knew, he was trying to cheer her up after her breakup, even though she and Stiles had a long talk about it and agreed that it made sense. 

Scott kept gazing at her, sighing softly when he finally had to turn away to pay and grab their things. He picked up the drink tray, and then tucked the boxes of candy into the crook of his arm before finally picking up the popcorn and turning to smile at Lydia. “Lead the way?” He requested.

Lydia walked outside, holding the door open for Scott. It was too soon for her to say anything. She was getting frustrated with herself for thinking she needed to have answers for her problems immediately. 

Scott grinned a little at her. “So, do we even know what's playing tonight?” He asked, walking back toward the truck. He placed their things on the top of the truck before he unlocked the vehicle and pulled out the blankets so at they could curl up in the back.

“The Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful, and Weird Science. They’re all John Hughes movies.” Lydia explained. “I haven’t seen them in a while.” 

Scott looked at her sheepishly. “Um… I don't think I've ever seen them. Or if I have, I haven't seen them all the way through.” He admitted, spreading the blankets out into the back of the truck before climbing up, and then stretching his hands out to Lydia to help her up.

Lydia gave Scott a grateful smile and gripped his hands, climbing up into the back of the truck. She leaned against the cab, relieved that she had decided to wear pants. She was worried that it might get cold in another hour, but she had brought extra blankets for a reason. “This is going to sound cruel, and I don’t mean it that way. Stiles is such a geek about everything, I would have thought he made you watch a lot of movies with him.” 

Scott laughed a little and grabbed their drinks and snacks off of the top of the truck before making his way back and settling down beside her. “There were some that I expressed interest in that we were able to watch together. And he tried for the longest time to get me to watch Star Wars, and I tried, I really did, but… Um, that didn't happen. Besides, the time to watch movies together the last few years sort of… dwindled in the middle of everything else.”

Lydia nodded. “That’s why it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything they’re playing tonight.” She fell silent as the bright lights dimmed around them and the screen lit up from the projector building. “I’m just glad they went with these instead of the Home Alone movies.” 

Scott laughed. “There's four of them. I'd have gone out of my mind.” He murmured, scooting a little until he was beside her, pressed shoulder to shoulder as he threw one of the blankets over her lap.

“Thank you.” Lydia murmured. She glanced up at Scott, but she chickened out at the last second and looked down at the box of candy in her hand as she tore it open. On the screen, the Brat Pack teenagers were just walking into the library and sitting down. 

Scott’s eyes were fixed on the screen instantly, settling the tub of popcorn between them and taking a sip of his drink before he opened his candy.

Lydia glanced out at the long lines of cars to her left, a bemused smile on her lips. She was only supposed to be pretending to be sixteen, not actually just as confused about boys as she had been back then, although she had pretended to know everything. They had been as lost as she was, which was probably why they went along with whatever she said they wanted. 

Scott glanced over at her after a moment. “Enjoying our night out?” He asked her playfully.

“You mean, just us, a couple of sophomores who were fortunate enough to have an older friend who let us borrow his truck?” Lydia teased. “Sure. I just hope we don’t get grounded if we’re late getting back. You know, curfew and all.” 

Scott nodded sagely. “God, yeah, you're so right. I need the use of this truck, I don't think I'd handle it well if my mom took the keys from me.”

Lydia laughed. “I’m going to have to tell people I’m fifteen.” She sighed. “That’s going to be so strange.” 

“Maybe.” Scott murmured, tilting his head as he gazed at her. “You can pull off looking pretty much any age, though, younger or older.”

“You think so?” Lydia smiled. “You don’t have time to grow your hair out to that hairstyle you had sophomore year.” She laughed lightly. “You were just hair and a smile back then, for all I knew about you.” 

Scott laughed softly. “You're not wrong. Those were pretty much all of my defining characteristics. My mom started calling me Shaggy at one point to try to convince me to get my hair cut, so I asked her if I could get a Great Dane.”

Lydia stared at Scott, then burst out laughing. “And then you became a werewolf.” She remarked, shaking her head. “Stiles seems more like Shaggy, anyway.” 

“Nah. Well, a little.” Scott chuckled quietly. “But I think Stiles and I are sort of a crossover at this point. Little bits of him and little bits of me are pretty much entwined.” He paused. “And that sounded really wrong, but it wasn’t what I meant.”

“No, go on.” Lydia teased. “Tell me more about this.” She laughed again. “I think I just figured out why Isaac always wore scarves.” 

Scott slapped a palm across his face, laughing and turning red. “It’s not like that!” He blurted, unable to stop snickering.

Lydia’s eyes widened. “No, I didn’t mean _that_!” She put her head down on Scott’s shoulder, embarrassed. “I meant like he thinks he’s Freddie. Because he always wore that scarf in the cartoon.” 

Scott laughed harder, tilting his head down and pressing his forehead to her temple. “He didn’t. I’m pretty sure he only wore the scarves because part of him thought they were fashionable, and the other part of him liked testing the way Stiles’ eyes bulged out every time he saw Isaac wearing them.”

“It’s definitely too easy to annoy Stiles.” Lydia murmured. She stayed where she was, turning her head to watch the movie. “You know, he thinks that Harris got a detention fetish from this?” 

Scott fidgeted a little and then wormed his arm around her, resting his head against hers. “I’m pretty sure he’s right, actually.” He laughed softly. “Harris really seemed to enjoy giving us detention.”

“It had nothing at all to do with the fact that you both talked incessantly.” Lydia smiled. “I admit that he did get carried away sometimes, but not every time.” 

“When you texted to say you were here, you probably should have said you were on a date.” Kevin remarked, resting his arms on the side of the truck as he peered at Lydia and Scott. “We wouldn’t have come here, if we had known.” He gave them a knowing smile. “Didn’t you say earlier that you have a boyfriend in college?” He asked Lydia. 

Betty thwapped her hand across Kevin’s shoulder. “Quit it!” She hissed at him. “They’re friends, the way me and Archie are friends, Kevin. They’re having friend cuddles, obviously.”

“Is that what that is?” Kevin mocked Betty. “Silly me. Well, I guess that means it’s fine if we join you?” 

Lydia sat up, nodding. “Sure, but you have to let Scott watch these movies. He doesn’t remember ever having seen them.” 

“Doesn’t remember as in ‘has amnesia?’” Kevin boosted himself over the side of the truck and sat with his legs stretched out in front of him, his feet resting against the wheel cap on the other side. “Or doesn’t remember as in ‘hasn’t seen them?’ Because that’s a crime. I should call my dad.” 

Scott snorted. “Yeah, you don’t need to do that.” He scooted a little, tucking himself against the side and tugging Lydia along with him to make more room for Kevin and Betty. “It’s not - I just didn’t see some movies that a lot of other people got to see.”

Betty smiled as she climbed up into the bed and curled up beside them. “There’s nothing wrong with that.” She reassured him. “Sometimes, there are just more important things than seeing every movie made, like studying.”

Scott blinked at her awkwardly. “Uh. Well, no, it had nothing to do with studying, I just never got to watch these sort of movies. I haven’t seen Star Wars, either.”

Kevin put his hand over his heart. “Deeply religious parents? Or you lived in a house without a tv. Or...” He thought for a moment. “You’re morally opposed to movies about outer space?” 

“I think he just didn’t watch it because it was fun to see Stiles react worse than you just did.” Lydia mused, glancing from Kevin to Scott. 

Scott grinned. “Stiles has been trying to get me to watch since we were four. I almost did a few years ago, but I was watching with my girlfriend at the time, and we… uh. Didn’t watch it.”

Kevin moved to sit on Betty’s other side. It was a tight squeeze for the four of them, but he didn’t care. “You should make a list of movies you want to see and give it to Jughead. He has everything. Or at least, he has access to everything.” 

“How?” Scott asked curiously, furrowing his brows.

Betty gestured at the screen. “He works here.” She told him. “He _literally_ has access to everything they’ve ever shown here.”

“I think we made the right decision, coming to this school.” Lydia nudged Scott, then turned toward Betty. “You grew up here, right? You said that before?” 

Betty nodded. “We all did. Except Kevin.” She glanced at her friend. “Oh, and Veronica. She’s from New York.”

“Where are you guys from, again?” Kevin asked. “I don’t think you ever said, earlier.” 

“San Francisco.” Lydia said quickly, thinking of Allison. “The hospital in Beacon Hills had vacant positions and our moms are friends, so they applied and got hired together. My mom’s a counselor and Scott’s mom is a nurse.” 

Scott nodded, beaming. “Yep. I - uh - kinda want to do the same thing, actually. Nursing. Or maybe a paramedic.” He looked at Lydia curiously. “I’m pretty sure I could do that.”

Lydia nodded. “You could. EMT training is actually pretty easy.” She faltered after she said it. “Not that you’re... you don’t need something easy.” 

Scott rubbed a hand over her shoulder gently. “But I’m easy.” He teased her. “I could definitely do the EMT training. And, I’d get to drive like a nutcase, and legally speed.”

Kevin glanced at Betty, giving her a pleading smile. He knew he had probably driven her a little nuts, talking about Scott as much as he had since meeting him earlier that afternoon, but he was interested in him and knowing that he wasn’t on a date with Lydia meant he was probably available. After a moment, he muttered to himself, knowing that he should just ask for his own sake. He was just wary of guys after what had happened with Moose. “So, Scott. Do you like guys and are you single?” 

Scott looked over at Kevin. “Um. Yes, I’m single. But I’ve never dated a guy, so… I don’t know.”

“Oh, but that’s not a no!” Kevin blurted, smiling. “Do you want to make out and see how you feel after that?” 

Scott’s mouth fell open a little, and he looked at Lydia, eyes wide. “Uh. Um. I… am not sure?” He stuttered. “This is really sudden.”

Betty stifled a laugh. “Kevin, leave him alone. You caught him off guard, he’s not going to have an answer you want to hear just like that.”

Lydia didn’t have the same consideration. She was openly laughing, sending Stiles a text. ‘I have met a mini-you and I’m amazed. I thought you were one of a kind. I’m disappointed.’ 

Scott slowly sank down until he was hiding beneath a heap of blankets. “I hate all of you.” His muffled voice mumbled.

“You do not.” Lydia said confidently, pulling the blankets off of Scott as she put her phone back into her purse. “Now watch the movie. I’ll quiz you after.” 

Scott snagged an arm around her waist and dragged her down next to him. “You never said there was gonna be a test on this!” He protested.

Lydia laughed again. “I just want to make sure you watch!” She insisted. “These are some of my favorites. It’s not like I’m nagging you to watch a bunch of Muppets in outer space.” 

Kevin leaned toward Betty, whispering in her ear. “A blind, deaf guy without hands could read them better than they can read themselves.” 

Betty’s lips twitched. “Maybe it’s just that new?” She whispered back. “So new that it’s obvious to everyone but them.”

“Probably. Oh well, he could still be interested in me though, right?” Kevin murmured. “Probably not.” 

Betty laughed softly, looking sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Kevin. It’s looking more and more like he’s just more into girls than guys.”

Kevin pouted and squirmed a little, focusing on the movie, instead. 

Betty patted his shoulder soothingly, her own eyes lifting up to focus on the movie as well.

Scott dropped his head against Lydia’s shoulder. “What am I supposed to be watching for?” He asked her softly.

Lydia smiled. “Just the movie, in general.” She murmured. “You can’t really do that from how we’re laying down.” 

“Sure I can.” Scott whispered, grinning at her and grabbing a few more blankets, stuffing them behind himself and Lydia.

Lydia snorted, but she didn’t move as she watched the next part of the movie. “It kind of bothers me that Ally Sheedy’s character gets a makeover. She was a little weird, but some makeup and a headband won’t change that about her.” 

“It wasn’t about that.” Kevin looked over at Lydia. “Not to me, anyway. I figured that Andrew already liked her, he just didn’t want to admit it to himself because she didn’t dress the way he thought she should.” 

“But that’s my point.” Lydia shook her head as she looked up at Kevin from the angle she and Scott were laying at. “I personally wouldn’t dress in a way to hide myself, the way she does here. But my friend Malia had to practically be held down to get her to put makeup on, and it didn’t really make a difference. She’s still... um, abrasive.” 

Scott snorted. “Putting it mildly. She practically has to be held down to get her to wear clothes.”

Betty blinked, looking startled. “She… doesn’t like wearing clothes?”

“She, um...” Lydia sighed, not sure how to even begin trying to explain Malia without mentioning that she spent several years as a coyote. “She’s strange. But she’s still our friend.” 

“Oh.” Betty nodded, looking sympathetic. “She had trauma in her life, didn’t she?”

Scott squinted at her, slowly raising his head to look at her from over Lydia’s shoulder. “Um… yeah, actually. We love her, though, really. She’s great, she’s just a little nuts.”

“I want to meet all of your friends.” Kevin murmured. “ _All of them._ ”

Betty scoffed at him, a grin on her face. “That doesn't sound terrifying at all.” She teased him. 

Scott waved a hand, staring at the screen and frowning. “Wait, wait, wait, what is she doing? With her earring, I mean - people did that? Girls just took their earrings out and gave them to boys they liked?” He looked at Lydia, bewildered. 

“Okay.” Lydia smiled. “First of all, I think this is just a thing that John Hughes thinks is cute, because something similar happens in the next movie. You’ll see. I think she gave him the earring to have him wear it, like they’re a couple now. But also, she doesn’t care about the earrings. It’s not something they said in the movie, but I think it was kind of a present from her dad, to buy her affection.” She snorted. “My dad did that to me. It’s how I got Prada.” She glanced over at Betty and Kevin. “My dog.” She clarified. 

Betty looked sympathetic. “That's awful.” She murmured. “I'm so sorry about that.”

Scott sat up a little, gazing at Lydia with soft eyes. His fingers ran gently over her arm, out of sight. “I kind of can't stand your dad.” He said quietly. 

“I’m not that bothered by it. I never was, really.” Lydia murmured. “It was actually kind of great to get him out of the house. He had... beliefs that didn’t match mine, that’s all.” 

“Then… good riddance to him.” Betty said, nodding firmly. “You don’t need anyone to have any sort of negative impact on your life.”

“Agreed.” Kevin murmured. “I know I haven’t known you more than a few hours, but I think you’re amazing.” He glanced at Scott. “Both of you.” 

Scott ducked his head, smiling crookedly and flushing. “You guys are pretty great, too. Thank you.”


	7. Chapter 7

Lydia smiled sleepily as she got out of Theo’s truck, a few hours later. She had started to drift off during Weird Science, and she was disappointed to learn that the concession stand didn’t have coffee. She was already planning on going back, knowing she would need to buy coffee beforehand. She trudged up to Theo’s front door and knocked, then blinked at the sight of an envelope with Scott’s name on it, taped to the door. 

Scott climbed out of the truck as well, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he followed Lydia. He cocked his head, furrowing his brow when he saw the envelope, and moved up behind Lydia in order to grab it. Opening the envelope, he slid out the piece of paper and, without hesitation, held the note in front of both himself and Lydia so that they could both read it.

Lydia smiled to herself, resisting the urge to lean back against Scott. She had a clear idea of what she wanted now, and an even clearer idea of what she wasn’t going to risk. Her eyes scanned over the words that Theo had carefully printed. “He’s giving you the truck.” She murmured. “I’m not sure why he didn’t give it to me, but I would have just given it to you, anyway.” 

Scott shook his head, frowning. “He probably knew you’d give it to me, anyway.” He murmured, pressing a little against her. “I still don’t understand why, though. I mean - what made him decide to ditch Beacon Hills and head for D.C.?”

“Stiles, obviously.” Lydia scoffed. “I don’t know why he’s bothering. Stiles has said repeatedly that he doesn’t like Theo, nevermind romantically.” 

Scott raised an eyebrow at her teasingly. “You mean like how you totally don’t like Stiles at all?”

“Sort of like that, sure.” Lydia tilted her head back to look up at him. “But the fact that he’s saying it means something.” 

Scott hummed, leaning forward a little until he was a firm, solid presence at Lydia’s back, tilting his head a little and breathing in the scent of her hair. “Maybe, yeah.” He murmured. 

Lydia couldn’t look away, even though she knew she probably should. “Stiles is going to think it’s romantic that Theo went across the country to be with him.” She said softly. “It _is_ romantic. I consider myself to be more reasonable than other people, but I would have a hard time relying on my mind instead of my heart, for something like that. Stiles has always been more reliant on his heart than his mind. I think that’s the real reason the two of you are best friends. You’re the same way.” 

“Well…” Scott swallowed, studying her face intently. “There's a reason people say, ‘follow your heart,’ you know. But… it can be dangerous. Gets you into trouble. Like… like what happened to Derek. So… maybe you've got it the right way.”

Lydia stood up straight and turned to face Scott. “Probably.” She looked past Scott, to the truck parked at the curb. “I think... I should walk home. It’s a nice night, I’m only a few blocks away. I need time to think through what we’re doing on Monday.”

Scott straightened as well and pulled back, clearing his throat. “Right. Okay. Um - are you sure? I can drop you off and… take the truck home with me, I guess?”

In the movies Lydia loved, the female lead would look up at her love interest and say something bold, like ‘I want you to kiss me.’ And he would. And then credits would roll. But Lydia preferred to be rational, when she could. Scott was Allison’s ex-boyfriend, regardless of how long her best friend had been deceased. Lydia was Scott’s best friend’s sort-of ex-girlfriend, now. Her relationship had ended less than twelve hours earlier. It was late, it was warm outside, she didn’t _need_ Scott to swoop in and save her from the imagined perils of being single. But she found herself still staring at him as she ran through all of her reasons to put her feelings aside and weighed them against stolen kisses in a school office, a reassuring hand holding hers more than once over the years, the warmth of his arms around her when they didn’t have to be, as they read Theo’s letter at the same time. After all of that, the only thing she could think of to say in response to his question was, “Um.” 

Scott couldn't help quirking a tiny smile at her response. “Come on,” he murmured, reaching for her hand. “Let me get you home. It'll make me feel better, instead of just leaving you to walk home when there's a perfectly good vehicle right there. That's a douchebag thing to do, Lydia. Don't make me be a douchebag.”

Lydia laughed as she took his hand and walked back toward the truck. “In order to feel better, you would have to feel bad in the first place.” She remarked. “And it’s not a douchebag thing when I said I wanted to walk home, but I guess I can suffer through your company for another five minutes.” She glanced up at him. 

“It is a douchebag thing, though, especially when a voice in my head is yelling at me not to let you walk home anyway.” Scott laughed and led her back to the truck. He opened her door and helped her in, pausing for a moment to gaze at her. He smiled crookedly. “I'm trying to be a good, decent gentleman. Good, decent gentlemen don't do that, regardless of the fact that the woman said she wanted to. I literally could not stand it if you didn't let me take you home, okay, I'd be a freak and text you every few minutes, and I'd in all honesty probably follow you in the truck until I was positive you were behind closed doors and safe. And even then, I'd probably stick around for a little bit longer just to make sure no one had broken in.” He fidgeted a little. “I might be a bit paranoid.” 

Lydia had started smiling halfway through Scott’s minor rant, and she breathed in slowly, then turned sideways in her seat and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, bracing herself as she leaned in and brushed her lips against his. She pulled away, staring at him with one eyebrow raised. She had no idea what she was supposed to say after all of that. 

Scott swallowed roughly, staring back at her and breathing heavily. Licking his lips, he leaned forward, his hands resting on either of her hips as he stood between her legs, and he kissed her again softly. Memories of the first - and only, until now - kiss they had ever shared raced through his mind, and the intensity and arousal he remembered from kissing this beautiful woman in a teacher’s office paled in comparison to the soft gentility he could feel now. 

Lydia kissed back, resting a hand on Scott’s cheek. She pulled away a moment later, looking at him again. “I’m not very good with words.” She said quietly, studying him. “I can write whatever essay I’m expected to, and I know how to handle societal norms.” She shrugged. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to say something about this. I’ve never dealt with this before.” 

Scott smiled crookedly. “Neither have I. Not really. I just…” He slid his hand over her waist and moved it up to clutch her free hand. “Maybe… we could take things step by step? Just as it comes?”

Lydia nodded. “Okay. Then do you want to consider tonight a date?” She smiled. “I feel like it was.” 

Scott grinned, pressing his forehead against hers. “I felt it, too. So, yeah. Let's.”

Lydia’s smile widened and she kissed Scott again, laughing. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for hours.” She admitted. “I feel like I have to make up for lost time. But I do need to get home. We’ll have all day tomorrow. Before school starts for us on Monday.” 

Scott snorted out a laugh, lifting his hands to cup her face. “Alright. Then, let’s get you home. Don’t want to miss out on a second of this while we’ve got it.” He teased her, kissing her once more, softly, before he reluctantly let go and rounded the truck to climb in. Settling himself in the driver’s seat, he looked over at Lydia with a smile and started up the truck. 

Lydia wondered idly if Stiles might be angry at either of them, but she doubted he would be. She figured that by the time he came back to visit, he would be with Theo and wouldn’t care about much else. She frowned at a figure on her front porch, as Scott pulled the truck up in front of her house. She put her hand on his arm as she leaned past him to peer out through his window, her eyes widening in recognition. She practically flung herself out of the vehicle and ran across her yard. “Allison!”


	8. Chapter 8

Lydia put her head down on her arm, turning her head to look across the kitchen table at her best friend. “I was forced into resurrecting Peter. I somehow brought Jackson back from the dead. Allegedly. I just found Boyd two days ago, alive and well. And I still can’t believe you’re here.” 

Allison gazed back at Lydia, looking between her and Scott for a moment before refocusing on the redhead and smiling weakly. “Neither can I.” She admitted softly, clasping her hands together and staring down at the floor, furrowing her brow. “I just… don’t understand how.”

Scott stared at her, feeling shaken. He dragged his eyes away to look at Lydia. “Boyd… Boyd showed up right after Jason Blossom died.” He said softly. “If… If Allison’s here, then that means that someone else is gone now, too.”

Lydia sat up again and nodded. “I sent Stiles a text. With an apology, because he shouldn’t have to read it like that. But I figured he would want to know right away, and he can talk to his dad and let us know if there was another death in Riverdale. I was thinking we might want to call Kevin, too. But it’s too late for that right now. Or too early.” 

Scott nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Unless he actually _is_ a mini Stiles, and he’s busy being up his dad’s ass about it right now.”

Allison was quiet, glancing up at both of them. Taking a deep breath, she asked softly, “What in the hell has been happening here since I’ve been… gone?”

“The highlights...” Lydia began. “Peter decided to work with your aunt, who was - big surprise - not actually dead after all. They brought berserkers. Peter tried to kill Scott again. We had him locked up in Eichen House. There was a dead pool, with most of our names on it and numbers by each name, telling every would-be hunter how much money they could get for killing us. Those things were happening around the same time. And then we had a relatively quiet summer before senior year started.” She glanced at Scott, smiling fondly before she looked back at Allison. “There’s a tradition of writing our initials on a shelf in the library. Scott wrote yours, as well as his own. Theo came and splintered our pack, but he had his reasons. He could have gone about things much differently, but I’m not sure he actually knew that. Kira left about halfway into senior year and I haven’t heard from her, since. Malia accepted Peter as her father and they’re traveling the world together, right now. Stiles was erased from our memories for a few months, but I helped bring him back to us. He just left yesterday, to go do FBI training in Washington, D.C.” She looked at Scott. “Did I forget anything?” 

Scott thought for a long moment, and then scrunched up his nose. “Um… Derek can turn into a full wolf now?” He offered, and then snorted. Looking at Allison, he sighed. “We got attacked by one of your ancestors. He tried to take over the body of my beta’s best friend, and he tried to kill me, but… When he tried to, he… uh, he saw you. In my memories. He thought you were his sister. I think you might know who I mean?”

Allison furrowed her brow together, shaking her head. “Um… no. No, I don’t think so?” She stared at him. “When did you get a beta?”

“After you were gone.” Lydia answered for Scott. “Liam. He was about to fall from the roof of the hospital, and Scott was losing control and he bit him. And then he panicked and kidnapped him. And called Stiles.” She giggled. “It’s funny now, but it definitely wasn’t, at the time. But since then, there’s been Liam’s friend Mason, Liam’s girlfriend, Hayden, and Corey. Corey was in Theo’s pack, with Hayden. But they didn’t like what he was doing, so they came to us. Corey is Mason’s boyfriend, too. After we graduated... Scott is still the alpha of the pack, but Liam is in charge while we’re at college. Except, of course, that we’re not in college. Boyd being alive made me realize,” she sighed, avoiding Scott’s gaze out of embarrassment, “that I actually wasn’t ready to go to MIT. I’ve deferred for a year. And Scott and I are enrolling tomorrow at Riverdale High School. As sophomores. To figure out what’s going on with these murders and resurrections.” 

Allison, if anything, looked even more lost, and more than overwhelmed. “O-Okay.” She mumbled, and then rubbed at her eyes, looking exhausted. “So… Where’s my dad?” She asked. “Is he okay?”

Lydia nodded. “He’s fine. He still lives nearby, but I have to admit that I’m not actually sure where.” She looked at Scott. “Do you know?” 

Scott smiled crookedly. “When he needs to contact me for something, he tells me where to meet him. Never at his place - only where he needs me to be.”

Allison slumped a little. “Do you have his number?” She asked softly. “Can you - I don’t even know if I _should_ see him.” She exhaled a laugh. “I _want_ to see hi - I want to see my dad.” 

Lydia got up to get a bottle of water from the fridge, for Allison. “Boyd is planning to take some GED classes.” She set the bottle down on the table, in front of her friend. “If you don’t feel like enrolling with us at Riverdale, you could do that, too.” 

Allison gripped the bottle tightly, wiping at her eyes with her free hand. “I don’t - I don’t know what I want to do. I don’t even know what I’m doing here.” She said softly, looking up at Lydia. 

“When we found out that Boyd was back, right after learning that Jason Blossom had been murdered, we figured out what was going on.” Lydia said softly. “Not the full extent, but the general idea. Because Jason was a werewolf. If you’re here, we’re bound to find out that someone else died, but I had already asked Scott what he thought about a transference. I was prepared to ease someone into death, to bring you back. He talked me out of it. And I had nothing to do with you returning.” 

“But that means that someone else is?” Allison asked, looking over at Scott. “Right? That means that someone knew Boyd, and knew Boyd was dead, and they killed someone in Riverdale for whatever reason to bring Boyd back. And that means that… that same person knows - knew - me. And killed someone to bring me back.”

“Yeah.” Lydia nodded. “Both of you are members of our pack. Or at least, extensively. Derek knows Boyd is back, and he should be coming back here, now. If he’s not already here.” She yawned. “We’ll figure it out.” 

Scott glanced at her, brushing his fingers against hers. “Hey. Why don’t you go upstairs and get some sleep, hmm? I’ll get one of your other rooms set up for Allison, and then I’ll crash on your couch, okay?”

“Okay.” Lydia mumbled, getting up and trying not to fall as she stumbled and lost her balance, due to her exhaustion. “I’m fine!” She blurted, blushing. 

Scott was on his feet in an instant, supporting her on one side, his arm around her waist. He glanced between her and Allison for a moment. “Okay. I’m calling for a sleepover on the living room floor.” He said. “Any protests?”

Allison shook her head, eyeing the two of them for a long moment before clearing her throat. “No. No protests.”

Lydia hadn’t bothered saying anything about her burgeoning relationship with Scott, during her quick summary of the last two years. She thought he might mention it, but he hadn’t, and she didn’t feel like asking what that meant for them. If Allison being back meant that Lydia didn’t get Scott, she would be disappointed, but she would handle it. For now, she just wanted to rest. “Can you go get things from my room?” She asked Scott. “I’m just going to lay down on the floor.” 

Scott smiled softly at her and nodded. “Okay.” He murmured, and leaned forward to kiss her softly. “I’ll be right back.” He headed for the stairs.

Lydia smiled slowly, blinking as she turned toward Allison. “That’s... something we both didn’t bother mentioning, apparently.” She looked sheepish. “It’s very new. We talked about it maybe three minutes before I saw you on my porch.” 

Allison nodded. Her eyes were soft. “Lydia, I don’t have an issue with it.” She said softly. “I never imagined I’d die at eighteen, but I never imagined I’d be brought back to life. I definitely never expected to come back to life and get back together with Scott. Again.”

“I broke up with Stiles yesterday.” Lydia admitted. “These last couple of days have been... eventful. He went across the country, I broke up with him, and then Scott and I went to see some movies at the drive-in theater in Riverdale. It wasn’t meant to be a date, but it became one. I still have feelings for Stiles, those didn’t just disappear. But I have a feeling that he and I are over for good, and that’s okay. I have Scott now, and he’ll have Theo if he can look past his need to hold a grudge.” 

Allison shook her head. “What did this Theo guy _do_ to you all?” She murmured. She bit her lower lip, staring at Lydia, and then abruptly bursting into tears, throwing her arms around the other woman.

Lydia blinked, startled, then hugged Allison, rubbing her back. “It’s okay.” She said softly, continuing to speak to try to keep Allison from thinking about whatever had upset her. “He killed Scott, technically. Melissa brought him back, but he was dead for a few minutes. He stole my memories and left me catatonic. He arranged for someone to try to kill Stiles. Not to actually do it, just to make Stiles feel guilty for defending himself and killing his attacker. He tried to convince Liam to kill Scott, and nearly succeeded in that. In terms of people we’ve had to fight against, he’s worse than Peter Hale. But he spent time in hell, and when Liam pulled him out, to get him to help us find Stiles, Theo was the only one who still remembered him. I think he actually loves Stiles. He’s a sociopath and I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side, but he’s not as bad as he was. He gave Scott his truck before he left town, to go be with Stiles.” 

Allison sniffled quietly, rubbing at her eyes with one hand as she rested her head on Lydia’s shoulder. “I wish I’d been here.” She said softly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.”

“It’s okay.” Lydia murmured. “I know you probably don’t want to be here now, but I’m glad you’re back, anyway.” She took a step back, getting a box of tissues and handing it to Allison. 

Allison accepted the box, still sniffling, and wiped at her eyes before blowing her nose. “Thank you.” She said softly. “And… I don’t know how I feel about being back yet, but… I’m glad you’re here.”

“Well, take tomorrow to think about enrolling at Riverdale.” Lydia laughed. “Unless you’d rather get your GED with Boyd? Scott refuses to join the football team. I didn’t even ask, I just looked at him when I found out football is their big sport, and he said it wasn’t happening.” 

Allison let out a soft laugh. “For someone whose life has revolved around lacrosse for as long as it has, I’m surprised you’d think Scott would consider it.” She teased.

“I figured it was just the opportunity to play a sport, that he liked.” Lydia explained. She motioned for Allison to follow her, then went into the living room and pushed the coffee table out of the way, laying down on the floor. “But I guess it’s better that he’s not going to be on the football team. I would probably be expected to join the cheerleading squad and I’m not interested in that, either.” 

“I don’t think you’d be happy as a cheerleader.” Allison murmured in agreement, sitting down beside the other woman. “Besides that, there’s probably a head cheerleader who would expect you to fall in line, and you are the last person I’d expect to kowtow to anything that anyone else wanted.”

Lydia laughed. “You’re right about that. I’m hoping this won’t take longer than a semester.” She looked up at Allison, blinking to keep her eyes open. “I’m not sure who’s doing this, but I think we can narrow it down, now that it seems to be affecting our pack.” 

Allison blinked tiredly, nodding. “Do you have any ideas of who it might be?” She asked softly, stifling a yawn.

“Well, it’s benefitting us this time, but that’s still not okay, to kill people in a different town, to bring our people back.” Lydia rubbed her eyes, then gave in and closed them as she spoke. “Whoever it is, they think they’re doing us a favor, obviously. It’s got to be a friend of ours who doesn’t necessarily share our ideals. That doesn’t narrow it down a lot.” 

Allison curled into a ball, resting her head against the floor. “Yeah… no.” She agreed sleepily. “Maybe they just won’t do it again now.”

“I hope they’re done.” Lydia agreed. “But I think experience has taught us better than that.” 

“Optimism hurts no one.” Allison laughed quietly, and snuffled a little against the floor. “Good night, Lydia.”

“Good night, Allison.” Lydia lifted her head, looking toward the stairs for Scott. She suspected he had only been taking awhile because he was letting them have privacy. 

Right on time, Scott poked his head around the landing, peering down at the girls, his arms filled with Lydia’s things. He looked curiously at Lydia, tilting his head in a silent question.

“Come down here.” Lydia called out softly. “We were just talking about who might be doing this, and the fact that I’d be a horrible cheerleader.” 

Scott smiled and came down the stairs, settling down next to her. “You’d be a great cheerleader, you just wouldn’t be great at taking a backseat and letting someone else boss you around.”

“The idea of having to choreograph a group of giggling teenage girls makes me kind of sick to my stomach.” Lydia laughed. “And it’s my understanding that I’d have to fight Cheryl Blossom for that opportunity, anyway.” She moved closer to Scott. “I want to kiss you again, a few more times.” She murmured, too tired to be mindful of what he might think about her blunt remark. “But I also need sleep.” 

Scott slid his arm around her and drew her against his chest. “Then how about a good night kiss, hmm?” He asked, smiling down at her softly.

“Okay.” Lydia smiled, closing her eyes. 

Scott lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to hers, hugging her close.


	9. Chapter 9

Lydia woke up a few hours later, pushing her hair out of her face and smiling to herself as she looked at Scott. The reason she was awake became clear when she realized that his phone was ringing. “Scott.” She nudged him. “Your phone.” She tried again a few seconds later, then decided that was enough of an effort to wake him, snuggling against him and closing her eyes again. She had spent most of the past twelve hours cuddling with him under blankets and she didn’t feel like stopping yet. 

Scott curled against her, wrapping his arms even more firmly around her and pressing her against his chest. He exhaled on a small smile, nuzzling her and keeping his eyes closed.

Lydia laughed softly when Scott’s phone started ringing again, then hers did. She opened her eyes. “Okay, when both of our phones are going off, that’s bad news.” She remarked, kissing him quickly. “Let me up.” 

Scott groaned and sat up reluctantly, moving off of her. “Whoever is calling, I hope they feel terrible for interrupting our sleep.” He brushed his lips over her temple. 

Lydia leaned against Scott as she answered her phone. “Hello, Veronica. It’s seven o’clock in the morning on a Sunday, so I really hope you forgot that people sleep and attend church.” 

“A couple of the cheerleaders are dead.” Veronica glanced at her friends as she spoke. “We don’t want to talk about this on the phone, but we know you and Scott can help, somehow. How fast can you get here?” 

Lydia bit her lip. “Faster if you explain this to Scott while I brush my hair and grab my makeup.” She held the phone out to Scott. 

Scott blinked, but grabbed the phone, sitting up properly. “Hello?” He asked. “Veronica, what's going on?”

Lydia shook Allison’s shoulder to wake her, then ran upstairs to her room. 

“Two more people were found in the woods, last night.” Veronica explained. “We know you and Lydia didn’t do it, the coroner on night shift already ruled the time of death as being during the movies you saw with Betty and Kevin. We know we can trust you. But we need some answers and we think you do, too. Please, they’re going to try to blame Kevin’s... friend.” 

Scott was alert instantly. “Kevin’s friend? Okay. Veronica, hang tight, alright? We’ll be right there. Or - not right there, we've gotta get dressed and stuff, but we’ll be there.”

Veronica sounded a little gleeful when she repeated, “You have to get _dressed_?” 

Kevin stopped talking to Betty mid-sentence and looked over at Veronica. “Yes!” 

Scott paused. “We’re still in our clothes from yesterday.” He said slowly. “There was no funny business last night. We… had a bit of a shocking visit.” His eyes flitted toward Allison as she slowly sat up. “We might be bringing someone along with us.”

“Okay, I don’t generally refer to it as ‘funny business,’ or have a third person involved...” Veronica teased. “We’ll meet you at the drive-in lot. We’re the only ones here right now.” 

Scott snorted. “Alright, we’ll see you in a bit.”

“Okay, great.” Veronica replied, hanging up.

Lydia came back downstairs in different clothes. She tossed a shirt to Allison. “This was yours, you left it here, I never got rid of it.” She said quickly, then bent at the waist to spray dry shampoo into her hair. “I hate not having time.” 

Allison tugged her shirt off casually and pulled the other shirt on, studying it with distant eyes. Standing up, she reached for the spray expectantly. “I don't even want to think about what my hair looks like right now.” She murmured. 

“It’s not that bad.” Lydia smiled. “But ‘back from the dead’ outweighs ‘slightly frizzy’ any day of the week.” 

Allison gave her a small smile, taking the spray and running the spray over the top of her head before she used her fingers to gently brush the strands out. 

Scott stood up, looking between them. “We’re heading to the drive-in. Apparently they're all there, and they're the only ones there. Unless I misunderstood somehow.” He grimaced. “I said that we had to get dressed and Veronica and Kevin pounced on it.”

Lydia laughed. “They’re fifteen or sixteen, they’re going to do that sort of thing.” She reminded Scott. “That was one of the few things we cared about until werewolves and finding corpses became our reality.” 

Scott made a face. “I don't remember caring about that.” He said petulantly. 

Allison let out a small laugh. “So what's the deal? What's happening?”

Scott exhaled. “It's like we thought. There were two deaths last night, while we were at the movies.”

Allison grimaced. “Damn.”

“Wait, if there were two deaths, then someone else was brought back last night, right?” Lydia braided her hair as she spoke. “Allison, did you see anyone else?” 

Allison shook her head, grimacing and pushing her hair behind her ears. “I just… woke up. Found myself on your porch. Didn't see anyone else.”

“So someone left you there...” Lydia took a deep breath, looking at Scott. “We need to check your porch and make some phone calls to the other pack members. But we don’t have time to do all of that and get to the drive-in.” She moved toward him, kissing him lightly. “Go home and change your clothes. I’ll make phone calls while Allison drives my car, to meet up with everyone in Riverdale. And we’ll see you there.”

Scott nodded, kissing her back softly. “See you there.” He agreed, smiling at her. He gave Allison’s shoulder a squeeze, and then left the house. 

Lydia watched Scott leave, then glanced back at Allison. “I’ve got the directions to the place still programmed into my GPS, you can just use that to get us there while I send out texts to everyone and see who replies right away. There’s not much point in me calling everyone, if I don’t need to.” 

Allison nodded. “That's true.” She murmured. “Okay. Uh, GPS hasn't changed since before, has it?” Her lips twitched a little. 

Lydia laughed. “No, it’s still pretty much the same as it was before. Really, you haven’t missed out on much of anything. The only new development that should make any difference to you is that I’m dating Scott, which is still...” She smiled. “Really new.”   
.  
Allison smiled softly. “I don't know what happened between him and Kira, and you and Stiles - other than what you've told me - but if the two of you are together, then I'm happy for you. I love you, and him, and I don't have any issues with the two of you. Though… last I saw, you were with Aiden.” She tilted her head curiously. “What happened?”

Lydia smiled tensely. “He died the same night that you did.” She explained. “And the bad thing is that I didn’t care that much. Probably not as much as I should have. You were gone and that had me feeling completely lost. After him, I tried to date one of the deputies. Jordan Parrish. But he was a little too... hmm. Self-involved. And not in the way that Jackson was.” She held her keys out to Allison. “I felt like I was losing myself to make sure his needs were met, and it wasn’t as tawdry as it probably sounds. He’s a hellhound. He didn’t know that for a long time and I became a walking bestiary - don’t you _dare_ make that stupid joke right now - to help him figure out what he was. I was neglecting myself and I suppose, in a strange way, Theo did me a favor by rendering me useless. I got a quick guide to banshee training by communicating with Meredith. I can use my scream like a weapon. I can redirect bullets with it. After I learned how to do all of that, I didn’t really have an interest in dating for awhile. But I did fall in love with Stiles. It’s just that I also have feelings for Scott.” 

Allison smiled teasingly at her. “Is part of you imagining what it would be like to snag both of them?” She teased, looping her arm through Lydia’s as she took the keys and led the way out of the house. 

Lydia laughed. “It did occur to me once or twice.” She confided. “But the drawback to having attention from both of them is that I would have to give it in return, and one boy is more than I can handle, sometimes. They’re so frustrating. Well, most of them. Stiles only ever says what he is thinking and Scott is too nice to ever say what he’s thinking, it seems. But I do like challenges.” 

“You would have your hands full.” Allison agreed. “But if you care about them both, then you might as well show them, right?”

“I don’t know.” Lydia shook her head. “Things with Stiles were good, but it was starting to feel tedious. I hate that I have to say that. I wish it hadn’t been that way.” She thought for a minute as she got into the car and sent out a text, asking everyone if they had any news to share. “With Jackson, I felt obligated to play dumb. With Stiles, I thought that if I said anything inaccurate, he might have a conniption. I don’t think that’s necessarily what would have happened, it was just how I felt around him. He has labels for everyone, whether he realizes it or not, and I was ‘Lydia Martin, genius.’ I make mistakes, too.” 

“He loves you, though.” Allison said softly. She climbed into the car and started it. “He's always loved you, as long as I've known him. And in comparison to you, that's such a short time. You mean a lot to him, and I wasn't gone < _that_ long, that definitely couldn't change.” She rubbed her chin. “I always kind of thought he was expecting you to just act like yourself in front of him.”

Lydia was silent for a moment. “You do realize you’re trying to encourage me to get myself involved in a triad relationship, don’t you?” 

Allison’s lips twitched. “Is that what they call that? Hmm.” Her eyes twinkled as she backed out of the driveway. “It's something to consider, at least. You have two guys that are pretty much nuts about you. If I had two that were interested in me and I didn't want to choose between them, that's what I'd probably do.”

“It wouldn’t be beyond the realm of possibility.” Lydia remarked. “If Stiles was around. He’s on the other side of the country and I think Theo practically screamed ‘dibs’ on his way out of town.” 

Allison snorted again. “I think I have to meet this Theo. I'd like to meet the guy that's so nuts about Stiles that he'd practically fly out of town to chase after him.” She peered at the GPS and made a turn. 

“I’m sure you’ll meet him eventually.” Lydia mused. “Because as much as Stiles wants to claim he hates Theo, it was pretty obvious that he’s attracted to him.” She looked down at her phone as it beeped to alert her to a new text message. “Boyd found Erica.” She was already calling Scott as she spoke. 

“Jesus.” Allison murmured, blinking. 

Scott answered. “Hey, I'm on my way right now, didn't take me long to get dressed after all. Did something happen?”

“Boyd has Erica.” Lydia explained. “So we’ll need to go talk to her in a little while, probably. It looks like there’s going to be a pretty full GED class this year, unless more people enroll in high school, like we are. Only, they would be doing it for real.” 

“It looks like we’re not going to be getting alone time today, either.” Scott sulked, pouting. He sighed. “That was a horrible thing to say. God. Okay, I'm right behind you. We’ll figure out what the hell is happening.”

“Okay.” Lydia smiled to herself. “I’m going to text Boyd back and tell him to take Erica over to Stiles’ house or the station. John and Melissa can handle this. They’re full-fledged adults, we don’t have to do everything.” 

Scott let out a soft laugh. “That's true.” He murmured. 

“We’ve still got most of the day. This shouldn’t take too much of our time.” Lydia murmured. “I’ll see you when we get there.” She hung up, glancing at Allison. “He’s upset that we’re probably not getting alone time today.” She laughed softly, blushing a little as she sent Boyd a text with instructions. 

Allison laughed quietly, making another turn. She was quiet until they passed the county line separating Beacon Hills from Riverdale before she murmured, “You could make time with him, you know?” Her cheeks were slightly red as well. “I mean… well, it's how I got into so much trouble with him, but that was in high school. You've graduated. You're legally an adult. You can't get in trouble for this now.”

“I know.” Lydia nodded, even though Allison’s gaze was on the road. “But right now, this is more important. Once we figure out what we can do to help, we will, and then... the rest of the day is ours. And I’ll probably drop you off at your dad’s, wherever that is.” 

“Probably should’ve realized that my dad would be paranoid enough to hide his freaking address from everyone on the planet.” Allison muttered, shaking her head. “I’m going to have to try to remember all of his old stupid tricks to try and figure it out.”

“Or you could just have Scott call him and tell you?” Lydia laughed. “It doesn’t have to be that complicated, does it? Would he really make you figure it out?” 

“His dead daughter just came back to life, in a town where a dark druid tried to sacrifice a dozen people to a tree stump, and where more than half his family died because of supernatural causes.” Allison pointed out. “He wouldn’t trust that it was really me. After the thing with the nogitsune, Dad would probably assume that it was something else supernatural trying to mess with his mind. I don’t even know if he’d really even trust Scott.” She paused and glanced at Lydia when she stopped at a red light. “Has that changed?”

“They’re getting along much better, now.” Lydia made a face. “Which has really unfortunate implications, doesn’t it? But that still stands.” 

Allison scrunched up her nose. “I guess as long as he’s not planning an assault on werewolves, I guess?” She shook her head. “That’s - I can’t tell if I’m annoyed or grateful. It would’ve been nice if they’d been getting along when Scott and I were together.”

“Well, at least he’s...” Lydia grimaced. “That’s another thing I have to tell you.” She muttered. “Okay. After you died, Stiles’ dad had some kind of epiphany and decided he wanted to try dating again. With my mom. Their one date didn’t work out so well, and that was kind of the end of that. But because Melissa figured John was... preoccupied, she kind of turned her attention to your dad. I’m not sure if anything has come of it, but you and Scott might become step-siblings, or at least some variant of that.” 

Allison straightened, her eyes slowly going wide until they were bulging. “My… my dad and Scott’s mother? Are - what - oh, no. No, no. That stops. That stops right now.” She looked at Lydia. “Not because I don’t want my dad happy, and not because I don’t want to be related to Scott or something, but because Melissa is a nice, wonderful woman, and she does not know what she’s getting into with my dad.”

“Maybe I should just drop you off at the hospital instead of your dad’s house, after this?” Lydia smiled. “So you can talk her out of something.” 

Allison’s hands tightened around the steering wheel nervously. “Maybe.” She muttered, grimacing.

Lydia glanced in the side mirror, looking for the truck that Theo had given to Scott. “We’ll be there in about three minutes.” 

Allison looked at her, then peered into the rearview mirror. “Okay.” She murmured. “Is there, like, a driveway, or just a lot that I pull into?”

“Kind of both.” Lydia explained. “It’s a long driveway and then a field.” 

Allison nodded. “Okay.” She murmured, and kept driving until she spotted the driveway Lydia had mentioned. She turned and promptly slowed down, startled by the unevenness of the road.

“Yeah, it’s like that.” Lydia murmured. “I swear this town is stuck in the nineteen-fifties. But it’s cute, I guess.” She got out when Allison parked, waiting for Scott and walking over to the projection building when Veronica waved them over. 

Scott pulled over beside Lydia’s car and trotted after the girls, slipping his arm around Lydia when he was close enough and dropping a kiss to her temple. He nodded at Veronica and the others, giving them a crooked smile.

“That is so adorable.” Kevin looked at Scott and Lydia. “Okay, anyway. Real problems. Moose was with me when we found Jason, and then he found Tina and Ginger. But - no offense, Moose - he’s not smart or skilled enough to kill one person, nevermind three.” 

“I don’t actually know what to say about that.” Moose remarked. “And I’m still not sure how you two... or three? Can help me.” 

Lydia leaned against Scott and whispered to him. “Should we just tell them? This is happening to them and it’s better than keeping them in the dark, isn’t it?” 

Scott rubbed her back gently, holding her close and licking his lips and exhaling. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” He said softly. “Okay. Let’s do this, then.”

“Scott and I aren’t sophomores.” Lydia began. “We’re not even seniors. We graduated in June. We grew up in Beacon Hills, and my ex-boyfriend, his best friend, is the son of the Sheriff of Beacon County. So when we realized something was happening in your town that goes beyond the regular police lines of expertise, we decided to lie and enroll in your school. Sort of as undercover cops, except that we aren’t cops and Stiles’ dad isn’t a big fan of this idea. That’s the easy part of the explanation. The harder part is that for every death happening in your town, someone in our town is coming back from the dead. Not as a zombie or anything like that, before you ask. I know it sounds insane. I used to believe it was insane. But I’ve - _we’ve_ \- been living through all of this for two years now.” 

Betty stared at them in disbelief. “That’s...:” She paused, her brows furrowing. “That actually explains quite a bit. But it’s still weird.”

“Zombies.” Veronica frowned. “Not zombies?” 

“Not zombies. Werewolves. And humans.” Lydia nodded. 

Allison lifted her hand and waved briefly. “Wholly human. Also, hi.”

Scott cleared his throat. “This is Allison. We… we lost her a couple of years ago. She’s… one of the people who’ve come back.”

“And two others, from our pack.” Lydia added. “But we didn’t do this and we don’t know who did. We’re trying to find that out. We thought it would be easier if we got to know people at your school, because it’s probably a student. Or a teacher. In our experience, teachers aren’t exactly trustworthy.” 

Scott nodded. “And to be fair, that probably holds true for Riverdale as much as it does for Beacon Hills.” He lifted an eyebrow. “We’ve been through this sort of thing before, though not this exact same thing. We have the smarts - we can help you.”

“I wondered.” Kevin admitted. “The autopsy report said that the bullet used to kill Jason had aconite in it. That’s wolfsbane. I had to look it up. Was Jason a werewolf?” 

“We’re pretty sure.” Lydia bit her lip. She felt a little wary about saying more, but she hated keeping secrets from people who might not be able to protect themselves if she held information back from them. “Because a werewolf we know was brought back after Jason died. Which means that one of the cheerleaders was probably also a werewolf.” 

“My money’s on it being Ginger.” Kevin glanced over at Betty. “I’ll bet you three dollars.” 

Betty looked at him in disapproval. “I didn’t like her, but I’m not betting with you about a dead cheerleader being a supernatural creature.” She scolded him. She looked at the others and chewed on her lower lip. “I still don’t know how I feel about the werewolf thing at all, but she was still one of our classmates - they both were, and whatever they actually were, they didn’t deserve to be killed.” She cleared her throat, avoiding Allison’s gaze. “Not that, um, not that I’m not, you know, thinking you’re undeserving of being back or anything.”

Lydia figured Allison could handle herself against Betty’s scrutiny. She moved toward Moose, speaking quietly. “Have you ever found bodies before you found Jason’s?” 

Moose shook his head. “No, I haven’t ever - why? You don’t blame me, do you?” 

“No.” Lydia glanced back at Scott, then looked at Moose. “I’m a banshee, and I think you might be one, too. When I got started in all of this, I had a bad feeling about my grandmother and wandered into her room at... a medical facility, and she was already deceased. I didn’t remember that happening. It was traumatic. After that, I didn’t find another corpse until I was sixteen. I think whatever happened in my town, it’s transferred itself to your town, for some reason. I don’t have all of the answers right now and I hate having to say that, but if you can think of anything similar to this that happened in your past, it can give us a better idea of what’s going on with you is coincidence or something you’ll want to be trained for.” 

“No, I don’t think anything like this has happened before, but if you have repressed memories, maybe I do?” Moose looked uncertain. “I was friends with Jason for a long time, and his family is weird. They live in a big mansion and they have a cemetery on their lot. Like the Goth family in the Sims.” He looked embarrassed. “Which I’ve never played a day in my life.” 

Scott ducked his head a little to hide his smile. “Dude, it’s cool. You’re in good company, I promise.”

“Okay.” Moose nodded. “Well, they treat Cheryl like she’s garbage. She’s rude to everybody at school, but I think it’s a defense mechanism.” 

Kevin stared at Moose, his head tilting. “I didn’t think you knew phrases like ‘defense mechanism.’” 

“Snob.” Lydia gave Kevin a reproachful look, then turned back toward Moose. “I think I need to meet Cheryl. I’ve heard a lot about her these last two days. As for the bodies you found, I’ll talk to both of the Sheriffs and we’ll sort this out. What you need to do is go home and rest. And keep one of your friends with you. That way, if anything else happens and you feel a need to wander off, you won’t be alone.” 

Scott nodded. “It’s a good idea. And, here -” He pulled out his phone. “Give me your number, and I’ll text you so you have mine. That way, you’ve got my contact info if something happens and you need help you can’t get from anyone else, alright?”

“Sure.” Moose recited his phone number, watching as Lydia got her phone to program it into hers, as well. “I do really want to go home now, though.” 

Scott smiled at him, saving Moose’s number into his phone. “Alright. We can all get out of here, I think.”

“Yes, we’ll call you or text you.” Lydia agreed, trying not to appear too eager to leave. 

Scott wrapped an arm around her waist and all but hoisted her against his side. “Okay, bye!” He called, waving with his free hand.

Lydia turned toward Allison as she walked with Scott. “Why don’t you go talk to the Sheriff or Scott’s mom, at the hospital? Get a full exam or something, just to make sure you’re healthy. And call me after that? You can use my car.” 

Allison smirked at her. “Yeah? Cool of you to offer. I’ll definitely give you a call, maybe about two or three hours from then, hmm?” She teased.

“Sure.” Lydia agreed, grinning widely. “Thank you.” 

Scott looked between them, confused. “What’s so funny? Why are you guys grinning?”

Allison snorted, bursting into giggles.

“It’s not important.” Lydia giggled. “Let’s just go back to my house.” She opened the passenger side door of the truck and climbed up and into it. 

Scott followed, looking warily back at Allison before hauling himself up into the cab of the truck and behind the steering wheel. He looked over at Lydia and smiled softly at her. “I’m really glad that we’re finally going to spend some time alone together.” He murmured.

“Me too.” Lydia smiled. “And that I made sure to pick up more birth control, last week.” She leaned toward Scott for a kiss, deciding not to tell him she had already heard plenty of stories about what he preferred. For all she knew, anyway, his preferences had changed since he had dated Allison, and Kira had never been the type to discuss that sort of thing. 

Scott grinned, kissing her back softly. “I’m going to make this good for you.” He told her softly, taking her hand in his and squeezing gently. “I promise I will. I always will, for as long as you’ll have me.” He lifted her knuckles to his lips and kissed them.

“Well, I’m kind of counting on this lasting awhile.” Lydia admitted. “I don’t see why it wouldn't.” She wasn’t sure what it was about Scott that made her feel like it was okay to daydream about romantic milestones that she had never cared about, before. 

“Good.” Scott murmured. “Because… at this point, I don’t think I could let you go.”

“I don’t want you to.” Lydia took a deep breath. “I want you to tell me if I become too controlling. I know it’s a bad habit I have.” 

“Okay.” Scott said simply. “Then I want you to tell if if I become too much of a doormat.”

Lydia laughed. “I’ll try. I don’t know if we’ll be able to see any real difference. If I’m used to people doing what I want and you’re used to being told what to do, then there should be some kind of... I guess a weekly check-in with each other? Just to see how we’re doing.” 

Scott ducked his head a little, grinning. “We could appoint someone to make us check in and then, you know, let us know if we’re doing what we’re not supposed to be doing?” He shrugged. “You know. A fresh pair of eyes?”

“Allison and Stiles, probably. Neither one of them has ever been afraid to tell us we’re being idiotic.” Lydia mused. “My mom is biased, and so is yours. And Stiles’ dad would just give us strange looks for asking him to handle it.” 

Scott sputtered out a laugh. “Yeah, that's definitely true. Okay - Allison and Stiles can be our… um, therapists or whatever.”

Lydia smiled. “I feel a little guilty for bailing on everyone for the next few hours, but I think they understand. I also think that Kevin is happier about us being together than we are.” 

Scott laughed quietly. “I'm not sure if I should feel weirded out about that or pleased that he likes us so much that he's already invested in us being together.” He started the truck up and turned around in the lot, kicking up a cloud of dust as he headed for the long driveway. 

“I think it’s unusual, but kind of sweet.” Lydia yawned. “I might go back to sleep until we get to my house, if that’s okay?” 

Scott smiled. “It's fine.” He promised her. “I don't care what we do, as long as we’re together when we do it.”

“Well, I care.” Lydia smiled. “So we might sleep for a little while, but then we’re not sleeping.” 

Scott grinned. “I can get behind that.” He murmured, sliding his fingers over her palm slowly. 

Lydia couldn’t resist the obvious joke. “Well, if that’s what you want, I suppose I'm fine with it.” 

Scott choked, his eyes bulging and the truck nearly swerving. When he was under control, he deliberately pulled over and looked at Lydia with wide eyes. “That totally wasn’t what I meant.” He paused. “Unless you actually are okay with it, but only if you’re okay with it.”

“I thought my hints were definitely not subtle, but apparently I have to just outright say it?” Lydia glanced up at Scott. “I want to have sex with you. Today. While Allison is gone, doing whatever she’s doing.” 

Scott blinked at her. “No, I want that, too. I’ve just… never, um.” He paused, squinting at her hesitantly. “I’ve never done… a position that wasn’t face to face.”

“Oh? Well, neither have I, actually. But that doesn’t mean I’d be entirely opposed to it.” Lydia laughed a moment later. “Maybe we shouldn’t, just yet.” 

Scott smiled over at her as he started the truck up again and pulled back onto the road. “I don’t… have any opposition to it.” He told her. “I mean… if you want to rest, and then… not rest… in different positions, I’m really okay with that.”

“We have time. But drive a little faster.” Lydia coaxed. 

Scott pressed his foot down on the accelerator, grinning. “I’m on it.” He murmured.

Lydia tugged the elastic band out of her hair and loosened her braid, running her fingers through her hair as she thought about quadratic equations, determined to distract herself from the rest of the drive, Scott, and her own urge to drift off to sleep. 

Scott was quick as he drove, making it back to Beacon Hills and his house in no time. He shut the truck off and looked at Lydia with a smile. 

Lydia looked at Scott’s house, then back at Scott. “Well, I don’t live here, but I guess your room works just as well as mine.” 

Scott looked sheepish. “It was a force of habit. I haven’t gotten used to driving to your house yet, for reasons that, uh, involve… not sleeping.”

“It’s okay.” Lydia unfastened her seatbelt and moved toward Scott, kissing him. “New truck, new girlfriend, new school.” She murmured. “How do you feel about all of this?” 

“I feel…” Scott exhaled softly. “Overwhelmed. Scared. Excited.” He slipped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Incredibly lucky.”

“Since we can do things differently, is there anything you want to do differently?” Lydia put her head down on Scott’s shoulder. As much as she wanted to be in his room, she was content to stay where she was. “I’ve been thinking it over and I’m not sure there is, for me.” 

“I think there is. I think you're incredible, Lydia. There are so many things you can do.” He brushed his lips over her temple. “You could take up journalism, if you wanted to. You could head the debate club.” He smiled at her.

Lydia smiled back. “I guess I’ll get to find out, tomorrow.” She said softly. “It’s so strange that I thought I had everything figured out when I actually was a sophomore, but now I don’t have a clue.” 

“I think that happens to a lot of people.” Scott murmured. “Granted, they’re usually a lot older than us, but… not many of them get a second chance at high school, right?”

“I didn’t want to say it out loud.” Lydia closed her eyes. “I’m not ready for MIT, I’m not ready to do much of anything else. I’m going from being one of the most intelligent people in this town to being just a face in the crowd, there. And probably not anywhere near as likely to be Valedictorian. I’m intimidated by all of it. I know it’s only two years, unless I stay there for a Master’s or a doctorate. But it would be two or more years on my own. I haven’t done that. Being alone. I don’t know if I want to.” 

“Lydia.” Scott said firmly, furrowing his brows at her. “You are the most intelligent woman I’ve ever met. You can do math formulas with your eyes closed. You can do math formulas that I’m pretty sure no one else has even heard of. You could never be just a face in the crowd. You are always going to be a star, and anyone who thinks otherwise when they look at you and listen to you and watch you is a fool. Do you hear me?” He tilted his head, cupping her chin gently. “You’re… extraordinary. MIT would be lucky to have you. MIT _is_ lucky to have you.” He squeezed her other hand. “But if it’ll make things a little easier when you transition…” He smiled softly at her. “I’ll come with you.”

“But you have UC Davis.” Lydia protested. “I’ll be okay. I just need to stop worrying over it.” 

Scott cupped her face firmly. “ _Lydia_.” He laughed. “UC Davis has the best veterinary program in our area. It’s not the best veterinary program in the country.”

Lydia smiled. “You’d have to apply to other schools and tell UC Davis that you’ve changed your mind, and a dozen other things that we don’t need to worry about right now. Let’s go to your room.” 

Scott grinned and leaned in to kiss her before he took her hand and started for his room. “Anything you say.”

“Doormat.” Lydia teased. “Just so you’re aware.” She followed him into his room. “I haven’t really spent time in here. I think the last time I ended up here was the night that Derek wanted to kill me.” 

Scott grimaced. “Yeah, I forgot about that. Good thing he didn’t succeed. He only wanted to kill you because he didn’t know you were immune. He thought you were the kanima.”

“He’s nice, but not very smart.” Lydia commented, shivering a little as she thought about how oblivious she had been, back then. She stepped out of her shoes and unzipped her skirt. 

Scott observed her heatedly. “I don’t think it’s that he’s not smart. I think he was just under a lot of pressure. I’m giving him a pass, on account of the fact that, um… I was kind of a douchebag to him.” He slid his arms around her, rubbing his palms up and down her sides. “God, you’re beautiful.” He muttered. “Incredible.” He leaned in and kissed her, lifting his hands and sliding his palms beneath her shirt.

Lydia kissed back, putting her arms around Scott’s neck. “You really like saying ‘douchebag.’” She laughed. “I’ve heard it at least four times out of your mouth since yesterday.” 

Scott snorted, ducking his head as he kissed her back, lifting her into his arms. “It’s my insult of choice, whether it’s in regards to me, or someone else.”

“I guess it’s better than most of the things that come out of Stiles’ mouth.” Lydia yawned again and made a noise of irritation. “Do not tell me to go to sleep.” She protested. “I have a feeling you will, and I don’t want to.” 

Scott laughed softly. “Being bossy.” He teased her, kissing her neck. “How about this? We make out for as long as we possibly can. If you happen to fall asleep, then… I’ll tuck you in.” He pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose, smiling.

Lydia smiled. “Okay.” She murmured. “You’re kind of...” She peered up at him, her eyes half-closed. “Like a Disney Prince. Not that it’s bad or anything. It’s cute. You’re cute.” 

Scott’s laughter continued as he held Lydia against him, moving toward his bed and laying her down before he slid above her. “I think beautiful is better than cute, and I think you’re absolutely beautiful. So I say you win.” He told her, nuzzling her neck.

“It’s not a competition, sweetheart.” Lydia laughed. 

Scott paused, pulling back to gaze at her with a small smile. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say that with affection.” He murmured. “‘Sweetheart.’”

“Yeah, I know, I tend to use it to be demeaning.” Lydia admitted. “But I’m trying to be different.” 

Scott kissed her again. “You are different.” He told her softly. “You’re - I need another word for extraordinary. Remarkable? Remarkable works.”

Lydia looked up at Scott. She arched her back and unfastened her bra. “I think you’re remarkable.” She smiled. 

Scott lifted her a little, gently helping her pull the bra off. He tossed it toward his bean bag chair, lowering his head as he did and wrapping his lips around her nipple, sucking softly. He didn’t respond, but it was because he didn’t know how to possibly respond to that. He didn’t think he was remarkable. He didn’t even really think he stood out in any way. But Lydia… Lydia was different.

Lydia whimpered, wrapping her legs around Scott’s waist as she tilted her head back. 

Scott breathed out softly, wetting his lips as he fought to get his clothes off as well, desperately wanting to be skin to skin with Lydia. One hand slid around her and he pressed his palm to the small of her back, holding her closer.


	10. Chapter 10

Lydia sipped her coffee and leaned against Scott. She had felt rejuvenated after they made love, instead of being more exhausted. It had given her a renewed need to look into the courses offered at Riverdale High School and figure out what to put in her schedule, the next day. A quick look through the clubs and sports had intrigued instead of repelled her, and she was considering the benefits of the school’s theater program and joining the cross country team.

Scott pressed his lips to the top of her head absently, smiling as he settled his arm more firmly around her. He’d fallen back into his old habits regarding school, and had simply picked the standard classes, before juicing the schedule up with some electives.

“Tomorrow, when we meet with the counselor to get our schedules, I think I’m going to ask about any extracurriculars, too. I know we don’t really need them.” Lydia set her coffee mug down and leaned against Scott again. “But if I’m going to repeat even one semester of high school, I might as well get to do something fun while I’m at it.” 

Scott hummed, smiling. “You deserve it. We both do. After the crap we put up with the first time around, we definitely should have the chance to.” He rested his head against hers and exhaled softly. 

Lydia glanced up at Allison. “So you’re really going to stay with Stiles and Theo?” She asked, trying not to sound frustrated by her friend’s decision. 

Allison was studying a magazine that she’d obtained from the library, lightly touching her hair and frowning. She looked back at Lydia, and her eyes softened. “For now, yeah.” She said quietly. “I don’t know. I could end up changing my mind, but for now… I feel like this might be the direction to go in.”

“Well, you can come back here anytime.” Lydia murmured. 

Allison smiled gently, reaching forward to place her hand gently over Lydia’s and squeezing lightly. “I know.” She murmured.

“I barely feel like the younger pack members even belong to us.” Lydia couldn’t meet Scott’s gaze as she said it. “And now you and Boyd and Erica are back, and you’re all doing your own things and Scott and I are trying to protect Riverdale... it just feels like a lot, all at once.” 

Scott rubbed her back gently. “It’ll be okay, Lyds.” He said softly. “It seems like a lot right now, but… we’ve dealt with worse, remember? We’ll be okay.”

“Sure, for now.” Lydia shook her head. “Nevermind, I’m probably just tired.” 

Allison set her magazine down and studied the other woman. “Too tired to go shopping with me?” She asked.

“No.” Lydia smiled. “I’m never too tired for that.” She turned toward Scott and kissed him. “I like problems I can solve. I’ll see you soon.” 

Scott kissed her back, smiling. “Bring me back something fun.” He requested, and then paused. “Or food? Whichever. I’ll see you soon, love.”

Lydia blinked at the ‘l word,’ but she smiled. “Okay.” She put her shoes on and grabbed her jacket.

Allison raised her eyebrows, her lips twitching a little as she stood up as well. “See you later, Scott.” She murmured, and then brushed her shoulder gently against Lydia’s, smiling at her.

Lydia led the way out to her car, holding her hand out to Allison for the keys. “I’m not ready to say it back yet.” She said gently, wondering if Scott was listening. 

“He didn’t outright say it.” Allison pointed out. “I think he just wanted an affectionate name for you that wasn’t something he said to me.” She shrugged. “I’m thinking that would be awkward, you know?” She handed the keys over to Lydia, smiling.

“Considering I just broke up with Stiles yesterday? It doesn’t even feel like that was just yesterday.” Lydia murmured. “Anyway. You’re going to move in with Theo and Stiles. Planning on a triad relationship of your own, hmm?” 

Allison blinked slowly. “Yeah, that hadn’t even crossed my mind.” She admitted. “Stiles offered me the chance to spend some time outside of Beacon Hills, and I jumped at it. I don’t even know Theo. I might decide that I want to murder them both while I’m there.”

Lydia laughed. “Well, try not to get caught.” She got into the car and started it. 

Allison stuck her thumb up at Lydia. “I’ll do my best, but seriously, don’t be surprised if you catch my face on the seven o’clock news or something.”

“If that happens, I’ll come visit you in prison.” Lydia promised. “But not right away. I like Stiles. Don’t kill him.” 

Allison let out a quiet little laugh. “Okay. I won’t kill him.”

Lydia smiled. “I hope you figure out what you’re doing.” She glanced over at Allison at a red light. “Because I’m starting to reconsider a lot of things. And I was hoping you would join me and Scott at Riverdale, but I understand why you wouldn’t want to.” 

Allison smiled crookedly. “I’m thinking I still might do the GED thing. I don’t think I could make myself go through high school again, even if I wanted to, so… thank you for understanding.” She exhaled slowly. “I hope I figure out what I’m doing, too.”

“If you get tired of it, you could always go to Boston and find something to do there. Scott said he’ll look into colleges around there, so he can be near me at MIT.” Lydia faltered, then smiled to herself. “I wouldn’t have expected this, not even two days ago.” 

Allison bit her lower lip, grinning. “Scott always was the one to go whole hog with everything he felt.” She murmured. “Expect it from now on, Lydia. Expect it, and hang onto it as tight as you can. You don’t end up with someone like Scott McCall every day. He’s special, and if he’s completely focused on you, you’re… you’re the most important person in the world.” She smiled affectionately at her friend. “I mean, you are anyway, but not all guys realize that.”

Lydia smiled again. “Thank you. I have to respectfully disagree, since that’s the modest thing to do.” She laughed. “What are we buying today?” 

Allison took a deep breath and smiled wryly. “Luggage. And clothes. Bras, underwear… essentials.” She rubbed a hand over her face. “I literally have nothing to my name. I had to figure out how to access one of my dad’s accounts just to be able to have access to money to be able to do this.”

“Okay, so two suitcases full of clothing, and then over to the cosmetics department.” Lydia parked in the mall lot and turned toward Allison. “Did you get to talk to your dad at all?” 

Allison grimaced. “I figured out his stupid codes enough to find out where his apartment was, but the one time I went over to try to talk to him, it sounded like he had… visitors.” She shuddered. “I hightailed it, no shame.”

“Visitors like Melissa?” Lydia shook her head. “I’m glad that my mom isn’t dating Stiles’ dad anymore, it would have been horribly awkward to be in a relationship with my stepbrother.” 

Allison’s face twitched so hard, she looked like she’d thrown a muscle. “Ugh.” She groaned, dropping her face into her hands. “Please, please, please put an end to this? Please? While I’m gone? I don’t care what happens, I just don’t think I can stomach the idea of being related to someone that I once…”

“How do you think I feel?” Lydia remarked. “I thought your dad was kind of hot when I first met him, and now my boyfriend’s mom is interested in him? That’s a little strange.” 

“ _Ugh_ ,” Allison repeated emphatically. “This will not do. This will not do at all. Reverse Parent Trap. We have to Reverse Parent Trap them.”

Lydia giggled. “Okay, calm down. Retail therapy and coffee and then I’ll help you buy a plane ticket.” 

Allison smiled at her. “You’re wonderful. Thank you.” She looped her arm through Lydia’s and started toward the store.

***

Lydia set her shopping bags on the back seat of her car, a few hours later. She got her phone out of her purse to check her messages and smiled to herself, holding the phone out to Allison. “Stiles has been busy.” 

Allison looked up at the phone, and then blinked in surprise before she reached for the phone to take a closer look. “Did he actually…” She murmured, her mouth falling open. She put her hand over her mouth, letting out a soft, astounded laugh. “Wow.” She murmured.

Lydia took the phone back and sent Stiles a text. ‘Allison says ‘wow.’ And she wasn’t sarcastic.’ She put her phone back into her purse. “He really wants to make sure you feel welcome.” 

Allison stared at the floor, a gentle, stunned expression on her face as she bit her lip. “I can see that.” She said softly. “I don’t think - I can’t believe he did all of that.” She fidgeted a little. “I kind of want to call him.”

Lydia got her phone back out of her purse. “Go ahead.” She nodded. “I’ll drive us back to my house and look up flight information for you, if you’re still on the phone at that point.” 

Allison smiled and took the phone. “Note to self, I need to pick up a phone.” She sighed and studied the phone, pulling up Stiles’ number and calling.

“Hey, Allison.” Stiles smiled to himself as he sat at the foot of the bed he had just made for her. “You’re either calling to yell at me or thank me. Which one is it?” 

Allison laughed. “The second one. The room looks amazing, Stiles. You didn’t have to do that, but thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. I was kind of worried that it would be the wrong shade of pink or you’d think I was like, stereotyping you or something with the arrow-print things, but I mean, if you don’t like it, you can get your own stuff. I just figured I’d at least give it a try.” 

Allison grinned. “No, no. The arrow print is awesome. And you got the shade right. Listen, I’m… I’m completely amazed, Stiles. I love it.”

Lydia glanced over at Allison, smiling to herself as it occurred to her that she and Allison had effectively switched boyfriends, even though her brunette friend probably didn’t realize it yet. 

“Oh, thank god.” Stiles blurted. “Because halfway home, I thought maybe I was doing too much, and for no reason. If you hated this stuff, I bought it for no reason and I couldn’t return it, I kinda went nuts for sale prices because I’m not exactly wealthy.” 

“I’ll pay you back.” Allison said immediately. “I got ahold of one of my dad’s accounts, I can totally pay you back for anything you spent. It’s just - It’s so - I can’t make words right now, Stiles, I think you actually broke me.” She glanced over at Lydia, giggling a little, and blinked when she caught her friend’s expression.

Lydia glanced back at Allison. “What? Did he say something weird?” 

“No, but you’re looking at me funny.” Allison pointed out. “Did _I_ say something weird?”

“No.” Lydia pressed her lips together. “Not at all, I’m just thinking. I wasn’t trying to look at you funny.” 

Allison nodded slowly, still looking confused before she jolted in place and turned her attention back to Stiles. “Oh! Yeah, I can do that. I can absolutely do that. I still - I need to pay you back somehow. And grocery shopping is something I can definitely do.”

“Okay.” Stiles smiled. “Let me know when you’ll get here. I know I said it already. I’m going to probably wander around my building and then go to bed.” 

Allison huffed out a laugh. “You wander around your building a lot?” She teased. “I promise, _promise_ , I will tell you when I get to D.C.”

“We’ve got stores and a gym here, so yes.” Stiles laughed. “I’ll see you soon.” 

Allison grinned. “See you soon.” She returned. “Bye, Stiles.” Her voice was warm as she spoke.

Lydia waited until Allison hung up before she spoke in a breathy tone. “ _Bye, Stiles_.” She laughed. “You like him.” 

Allison flushed, looking over at Lydia with wide eyes. “Look, I know you’re going _back_ to high school, but we actually are not in high school anymore.” She snorted. “It’s not - I’m not - shut up.”

Lydia grinned. “Give me a break, I need the practice. You like him!” She drew out the vowels in her teasing proclamation, then giggled. 

“I take back everything I’ve said about you,” Allison snorted again. “You’re a terrible person.”

Lydia smiled. “I won’t argue with you on that.” 

Allison laughed at her. “Well, at least you admit it.” She teased.

“I’m going to miss you!” Lydia blurted. “You just got here and you’re leaving.” 

Allison’s eyes softened immediately, and she wrapped her arms tightly around the other woman, hugging her. “I’m going to miss you, too.” She said softly. “But we can still talk. Online, and with phone calls and FaceTime, and everything.” She smiled weakly.

Lydia had pulled over as soon as Allison hugged her. “I know, but it’s not the same. We can’t go shopping from opposite sides of the country.” 

“We can visit, though.” Allison murmured. “I’ll come visit. And I’ll bring you out to visit me, too.”

“It just feels like everything is changing suddenly and I don’t actually like it.” Lydia shook her head. “I was fine with my dad and mom divorcing, with finding out about werewolves. I was even okay with Jackson being dragged off to London. But this... all of this, in two days’ time?” She sighed, trying not to cry. “Maybe you should drive.” 

Allison gazed at Lydia guiltily and nodded. “Okay.” She said softly. “Okay, I'll drive.” She reached out and squeezed Lydia’s hand gently, then slid out of the passenger’s seat and out of the car. 

Lydia got out of the car and walked around it. She fastened her seatbelt and stared straight ahead. “Just take me back to Scott’s.” 

“Oh.” Allison mumbled, standing outside of the car for a moment and looking disappointed. “Yeah, okay.” She took a deep breath, her shoulders slumping, and made her way around to the driver’s side before she climbed into the seat and shifted the car into gear. She stayed quiet as she drove, all the way to Scott’s house and parked, and then, looking down, she mumbled, “Thank you for coming with me.”

“You don’t understand because you didn't feel the loss we felt.” Lydia glanced at Allison. “When Scott hesitated, then wrote your initials, he seemed almost apologetic. I said you were still with us. I kept some of your clothes. And when Boyd came back, I said I would do anything to have you return. And now you’re here and you’re not staying. Scott and Stiles see themselves as brothers. I have an older sister who doesn't like me, doesn't want anything to do with me. You’re the closest I have to an actual sister and I don’t understand why I’ve always been able to ignore my emotions in front of everyone under the worst circumstances, but now everyone else keeps insisting everything is fine. It’s not fine. I’m imploding!”

Allison felt a flush of shame creep over her neck. “I don't…” She bit her lower lip. “I don't know what to say other than ‘I’m sorry.’ I don't - I felt settled when Stiles suggested it to me. My nerves have been wracked since the minute I found myself on your porch. I'm sorry I'm… I'm sorry, Lydia. You're right. I don't understand what it was like for you. I don't know how to make it better.” She cleared her throat. “But I know that if I don't go, I'm going to be insufferable, and I'll make you miserable.”

Lydia nodded. “I know. I was trying not to say anything, but apparently being an unraveling mess means I have no control over anything.” 

Allison reached for Lydia’s hand, and then paused before turning in her seat and hugging the other woman tightly instead. “I love you.” She said softly. “And I just want you to know that I feel the same. You’re the sister I never got to have. And - I’m glad that you didn’t rein in your emotions, I’m glad you told me. It’s not healthy to keep them held in. Lydia, I love you so much.” She pressed her hand to Lydia’s heart. “I’m _always_ going to be here for you, whether I’m right by your side, or whether I’m thousands of miles away. I want you to contact me, whenever you want. I don’t care if it’s six in the morning, or eleven at night. If you need me, get ahold of me. And I’ll do the same for you.”

Lydia smiled tensely, nodding. “Okay.” She said softly, then leaned toward Allison, hugging her. “I don’t want to make you feel bad for doing what your heart tells you is the right thing.” 

Allison sniffed softly. “And it’s killing me that doing what I feel I need to do is hurting you. I guess we’re just going to have to deal with feeling like shit.” She flashed her friend a tentative, shaky smile.

Lydia laughed and wiped at her eyes. “I guess so.” She agreed. “At least we’re getting a taste of what being adults is actually like?” 

Allison nodded, wiping at her own eyes and resting her head against Lydia’s. After a moment, she said, “It sucks. Why does anyone ever want to be an adult?”

“Because we were teenagers in high school who had to fight for our lives and sometimes we lost?” Lydia murmured. “And we thought being able to grow up and go away would make things easier. And now that I can, I don’t want to. Explain that to me.” 

Allison let out a soft, sobbing laugh. “I can’t even explain it to myself. How many teenagers die in high school and come back to life, and then have to jump right into the adulthood thing?”

“Well, again, you don’t _have to._ ” Lydia murmured. “But if you think it’s the right thing, that’s all that matters. I trust you.” 

Allison smiled tentatively. “Thank you. I trust you, too.”

Lydia hugged Allison again, then got out of the car and grabbed her bags from the back, carrying them to Scott’s front door. She knocked, smiling to herself as she waited for him to answer. 

Scott opened the door, smiling as she appeared. “Well, hi there.” He greeted, leaning in to kiss her. 

Lydia gave Scott a fond look. “I picked up a couple of things for you.” She said quietly. “But you might not appreciate them very much, I have to warn you.” 

Scott tilted his head curiously, looking confused. “I’d appreciate anything you got for me.” He told her honestly, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he led her toward the living room.

Lydia handed Scott one of the bags. She had already sorted through her things before she loaded them into the car, and his bag contained a Riverdale High School t-shirt and a blue and gold binder for his assignments. She had bought herself underwear in coordinating colors and put them in his bag, deliberately. Lydia had stopped short of buying him anything to write with, since it felt a little weird. She had heard the pen story at least a dozen times over the last two years.

Scott blinked as he looked through the bag, smiling faintly when he spotted the Riverdale shirt and coordinating binder. He brushed a kiss over her forehead - and then pulled out the underwear. His eyes slowly went wide, and his head swiveled to look at her. “Wow.” He blurted, looking again at the underwear. “God - Lydia, that's so - _god_.” He couldn't resist turning toward her completely and grinning cheekily. “Want me to try them on, or do you want to have the first go?”

Lydia laughed, delighted. “You really would wear them if I wanted you to, wouldn't you?” She gave him an appraising look. “I think the blue ones would look good on you.”

Scott grinned at her. “Well, I've always liked blue.” He murmured. “Guess that means you're my golden girl, huh?”

Lydia rolled her eyes, but she smiled and put her arms around Scott. “We have sixteen hours before we officially become sophomores again. I want to spend them the right way.”

Scott lowered his head to kiss her softly. “Any time I spend with you is the right way.” He murmured, his eyes open and honest. 

Lydia stared back at Scott. She could hardly believe that she had once thought Allison was odd for being so fixated on him, but her interest in him had grown over the years, too. She felt like she was once again at a loss for words, so she smiled and hoped it would be enough to convey her feelings. 

Scott smiled back at her and kissed her again softly, hoisting her up into his arms. 

“I feel strange that I don’t really know what to say to you, all of a sudden.” Lydia remarked. “I didn’t care if I offended anyone before, since I figured if they didn’t like what I was saying, I could find someone else. But it’s already different with you. I suppose it’s because we were friends to begin with, and because you’re not like Stiles, who says whatever he feels like saying. You think before you speak and you expect other people to do the same. Except where he’s concerned, of course. I just want to avoid arguing. Not that there’s anything to argue about.” She sighed in frustration. “Already, I’m not saying any of this the way that I mean it.” 

Scott put one finger gently over her lips. “Lydia. I'm not expecting you to say anything back, I'm not even expecting you to censor yourself for me, okay? If you don't have anything to say, that's fine. I just, I want you to know that I don't expect _anything_ from you that you aren't ready to give me, or that you aren't sure you'll ever be ready to give me, okay? I just want to be with you. That's all that matters to me.”

“Okay.” Lydia smiled. “But just so you know, I’m not interested in holding back on anything.” She laughed softly. “I mean that in any way you choose to interpret it.” 

Scott grinned at her, rubbing his hand up and down her side. “I can interpret that in a lot of ways.” He murmured, kissing her. “Don’t ever hold back with me. On anything. You shouldn’t ever have to.”

“I won’t.” Lydia moved her hands to Scott’s shoulders. “Do you want to go out to dinner?” 

Scott nuzzled his cheek against hers, kissing her chin. “I’d love to.” He murmured.

“Great.” Lydia’s smile turned playful. “You’re driving. Allison has my car.” 

Scott laughed. “In that case, I pretty much have to agree, don’t I?” He nipped her lower lip. “What are you in the mood for?” He asked, and then paused, clarifying, “For dinner, I mean.”

Lydia tilted her head. “Italian.” She murmured. “And not pizza.” 

Scott flushed. “I wasn’t gonna - wait, does the pizza count if it’s made at a genuine Italian restaurant?”

Lydia laughed. “Maybe.” She conceded. “But I want something else.” 

Scott smiled sweetly at her. “Then we’ll get something else.” He promised her, kissing her cheek.

“Over these last couple of years, I’ve gotten to know you and I’m glad for that.” Lydia said softly, studying Scott’s expression. 

Scott’s eyes brightened at her words, and he couldn’t help smiling softly. “I’m… god. Lydia, me too.” He said softly.

“I love you.” Lydia pressed her lips together. “I know I just broke up with Stiles yesterday, and I still care about him, but - but not just him.” 

Scott took a deep, shaky breath, yanking Lydia against his chest before kissing her roughly. Like Lydia before him, he couldn’t accurately formulate a response that would truly show her how he felt about her words and about how much she’d already meant to him before they’d even gotten together.


	11. Chapter 11

Lydia carried her lunch tray down the steps that led out to the courtyard, smiling brightly as she set her tray down beside Betty’s. “Hi again.” 

Betty brightened when she saw the other girl. “Hi! How was your weekend?”

“Well, after Scott and I left you yesterday morning, I spent more time with him, then went shopping with my best friend.” Lydia looked around. “How did yesterday go, after we left?” 

“For me, at least, things went okay. As okay as they could, I mean.” Betty grimaced. “Getting through class was a little hard, I’m not going to lie. Everybody was really depressed about the cheerleaders and Jason, or at least pretending they were, and… I don’t know. It’s a little weird.”

“What about Cheryl?” Lydia looked around, watching for Scott. “I haven’t had any classes yet today, it took this long to get through dealing with the office and having a schedule created for me.” 

Betty looked over her shoulder toward the table where Cheryl was holding court and snorted. “She doesn’t seem to be having any trouble, honestly.” She muttered.

“Well, appearances can be deceiving.” Lydia said gently. 

Veronica nodded, pointing at Lydia with her fork as she chewed and swallowed her food. “It’s easier to pretend than to deal with the reality of the situation. I guarantee you, she misses her brother and her friends.” 

Betty sighed. “That’s… true. Yeah. God, I bet she feels like someone’s targeting her by targeting everyone around her.” She looked down at her tray, and then sighed. “I’m sorry. I know I sounded kind of horrible for a minute there.”

“It’s understandable.” Lydia assured Betty. “She’s been rude to you, and it’s not like you’re reveling in her suffering.” She sent Scott a text. ‘Where are you?’ 

‘Coming right now.’ Scott replied. ‘I already hate this school, I’ve gotten turned around between classes at least four times now.’

‘At least you got to attend your classes.’ Lydia made a face after she hit send, feeling a little nerdy for having said it. 

“Aww, Mom and Dad are sexting.” Kevin teased, sitting down beside Veronica. “Moose is freaked out and keeps cornering me between classes, asking me to let him stay at my house. Like he’s afraid to be by himself, since he’s the corpse whisperer.” 

Lydia looked up sharply, frowning at Kevin. “I suppose you finding Jason Blossom was one of the more exciting moments of your life, but I know what he’s going through, and it’s devastating.” 

Scott came up behind her, foregoing a lunch as he dropped down onto the bench beside Lydia and rubbed her back gently. He leaned in to kiss her cheek. He focused his eyes on Kevin, his ears having picked up every word even through the din. “That isn’t the least bit funny, man.” He murmured. “That’s - stuff like that is legitimately the most terrifying thing that can happen to a person.” His held Lydia a little bit closer.

Lydia kissed Scott, then put her head down on his shoulder. 

“How did you hear that?” Kevin blinked. He looked around, then leaned forward, keeping his voice down. “Are you a werewolf, too? Like Jason?” 

Scott didn’t answer at first, more concerned with making sure that Lydia was soothed. When he did look up, he allowed the glow of his eyes to speak for him.

“Oh my god, I’m not sure if I’m scared or turned on.” Kevin blurted, staring at Scott. 

“Neither.” Veronica shook her head. “Kind of weirded out by this. Scott, why didn’t you tell us yesterday?” 

“If it were you, would you have said anything?” Scott asked, allowing the light to fade from his eyes. “I still didn’t know any of you well enough. And we haven’t exactly… _I_ haven’t exactly gotten really good reactions in the past.”

“Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.” Veronica nodded, glancing at Betty, then up to where Archie was approaching the table. “Um.”

“Say nothing.” Lydia said lightly. “Okay? Just don’t say anything yet. Please.” Even though it was a request, Lydia made it sound like a demand. Scott liked everyone. To instantly not trust Archie, Lydia could only guess at how bad the other teen might be. 

“What’s going on?” Archie smiled as he sat down across from Jughead. “Is everything okay?”

Kevin started to fidget as he forced a smile at the red-haired guy. He was never good at keeping secrets and he thought that was obvious to the world. 

Veronica put her hand over his, giving him a warning look. She shook her head.

“What-” Archie began, glancing around at his friends in confusion, his smile fading. 

“Scott’s a werewolf!” Kevin blurted.

Veronica lifted her hand from Kevin’s and smacked his shoulder.

Betty looked horrified, smacking the other side of Kevin’s shoulder. “What is wrong with you?!” She blurted, her eyes wide. 

Scott exhaled, looking resigned but not particularly annoyed, like he'd known what was coming. “It's okay. Well… no, actually, it's not, but I kind of figured it would happen eventually.” He didn't look at Archie as he spoke, choosing not to see what expression the other teen might have on his face.

Archie glanced up at Scott, smiling ruefully as his eyes flashed yellow. “Me too.” He muttered. “Nobody say anything, please.” 

“Good luck with that.” Lydia muttered, frowning at Kevin. 

Scott rubbed her back soothingly, pressing a kiss to her temple. “It’s alright, Lyds.” He murmured. He eyed Archie for a moment, and then looked at his girlfriend. “That actually explains some things.” He murmured.

Lydia nodded back at Scott. “We could really use Stiles’ whiteboard right now.” 

Scott huffed a laugh. “Yeah, we do. Well, we could FaceTime with him and tell him to haul it out.”

“First thing, after school.” Lydia agreed. She eyed Cheryl thoughtfully, then grabbed her tray and carried it over to the other girl’s table. She set her tray down across from Cheryl’s and smiled at her. “Hi.” 

Cheryl raised an eyebrow at Lydia’s presence, and then cocked her head. “Hello…” She said slowly. “Can I do something for you?”

Lydia looked at the people surrounding Cheryl. “Leave.” She smiled in satisfaction as the table cleared, before she looked at Cheryl again. “Your brother was a werewolf. Are you?” 

Cheryl cleared her throat. “I knew something was off about you.” She muttered, and then exhaled, rolling her eyes. “No. Thank god.”

“Drop the act, sweetheart.” Lydia muttered. “I’m not a werewolf. I just know that your brother was, and from what I’ve heard about your parents, they are. Which means somehow, you’re that pesky recessive spot on the Punnett Square. And I’ve also heard that they don’t like you very much, because of that. You want friends? Act like one. As someone who thought the rest of the town was beneath her, I feel I'm qualified to tell you this. That group back there?” She gestured to the table she had just been sitting at. “They’re real friends.” She reached across the table and grabbed Cheryl’s hands. “Jason says hello, by the way.” 

Cheryl went pale, letting out a shaky gasp. “What - _what_?” She blurted, looking at Lydia with wide eyes. “Jason is - you talked to him?” She whispered. “You saw him?”

“Sort of.” Lydia murmured. “I’m a banshee. I can communicate with spirits. It took me a long time to learn it, but I can.” 

Cheryl’s hands shook in Lydia’s as she let out a shaky breath. “Is he…” She looked down, biting her lower lip. “Is he happy?” She asked softly.

Lydia shook her head slowly. “He’s not saying much, or I’d have found a way to get more proof to Sheriff Keller about what happened to him. If you tell me what you know, I can help you.” 

Cheryl shut her eyes. “I don’t know much.” She started softly. “I… I initially helped him plan to fake his own death. So that he could leave Riverdale and start fresh. He was supposed to…” Her hands shook again. “He was supposed to make contact with me after he got out of town. And I didn’t hear from him for, god, a week? Next thing I know…” Her lower lip trembled, and she sniffled, unable to continue.

Lydia got up and moved around the table, putting an arm around Cheryl. “I lost someone who was like a sister to me.” She said softly, not wanting to explain that Allison had come back or anything else that had come along with that. She wasn’t sure why this was happening and didn’t want Cheryl to be angry with her - especially not when Lydia wasn’t to blame - or to get her hopes up. 

“Did she mean everything to you?” Cheryl asked softly. “Like he did - does - to me?”

Lydia smiled sadly. “Yeah.” She murmured. “I was a lot like you, I didn’t care about anyone else. I cared about being popular and maybe a little about my boyfriend back then, when I met her. But I just felt like she and I were meant to be friends. We were so different, back then.” 

Cheryl shifted in her seat and licked her lips a little nervously. “What happened?” She asked quietly. “I mean…” She swallowed roughly, looking miserable. “How did you - how did you get past it? How did you _survive_ something like this? Because I look at myself in the mirror every day and all I can see is Jason standing next to me. He haunts me. I can’t… I feel like I can’t move on.”

“I have my friends.” Lydia turned slightly toward Cheryl. “And now, if you want me around, you have me.” She smiled gently. “And my friends, too. That makes it easier. Do you feel safe at home? Or is it somewhere you want to avoid?” 

Cheryl was quiet for a moment, and then shook her head. “Avoid.” She said softly. “I don’t… They blame me. For Jason. Because I didn’t tell them what he had planned, because I helped him try to leave.”

“Then how about if I go with you after school? You can stay with me. Or someone else. Wherever you’re comfortable.” Lydia suggested. 

Cheryl looked at her. “You would do that?” She asked quietly. “For me? For someone you’ve literally just met?”

Lydia nodded. “I’ve learned that it’s better to care about people than to pretend they don’t matter. And I don’t like seeing anyone being treated badly, just because they’re different. Not for any reason.” 

Cheryl sniffed. “Let me think about it? I need to… I just need to come to terms with this a little.”

“Sure.” Lydia agreed. “I know you have cheerleading after school. I can stay and wait for you, no matter what you decide?” 

Giving Lydia a tentative smile, Cheryl nodded. “Yes. Okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Lydia hugged Cheryl. “Besides, you’re the only redhead I’ve ever met with a fashion sense as good as mine.” 

Cheryl let out a startled laugh and hesitantly hugged Lydia back. “Well, it’s a given. I mean, look at us.” She shrugged a shoulder. “We’re basically perfection.”

“Of course we are.” Lydia smiled. 

Cheryl nodded again once more and then said again, quietly, “Thank you.”


	12. Chapter 12

Veronica sat down to stretch, halfway through cheerleading practice. She had been asked more than once if she had a boyfriend in New York, and she kept saying no. Nobody bothered asking her any further questions, and she felt a little unnerved by that. She glanced at Betty, wondering how everyone in Riverdale managed to miss the clues she was practically hitting them over the head with. While she liked guys, she also liked girls, and Betty in particular. When she had met Kevin, her immediate reaction was to demand that they become best friends because she recognized instantly that he was gay, and not even he seemed to be clued in. “Hey.” She called out softly to Betty. “Do you want to go to Pop’s after this?” 

Betty looked over at her and brightened. “Oh, definitely.” She agreed, blonde ponytail bobbing as she nodded. 

Veronica smiled back. “Great.” She murmured. “I need to talk to you, when we get there. It’s nothing bad, I promise. It’s just personal.” 

Betty nodded and smiled again. She'd never had a friend like Veronica before. Archie was one thing. He'd been her very best friend for a very long time, and she'd shared things with him that she knew she'd never be able to share with another soul - but Archie was also a guy. There were just some things that he would just not get. And this friendship with Veronica had begun to show her what she could really have to look forward to when interacting with someone who _didn't_ grow up with her. “Okay.” She murmured. “I'm there for you. Whatever you need.”

Veronica remained introspective through the rest of practice, then as she took a shower and got dressed. By the time she was ready to leave the school building, she had almost managed to talk herself out of potentially ruining a great friendship. What she and Betty had right now was amazing, and she had already nearly lost that once and was terrified of losing Betty completely. And, she knew, if Betty wouldn’t speak to her, then neither would Kevin or Jughead. It might be better to say nothing. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other in the locker room doorway, feeling completely lost. The Lodge family didn’t back away from a challenge - but Veronica knew that it was _that_ attitude that had put her father in prison. She also knew she had a lot to think about, knowing now that Scott and Archie were werewolves. Or claiming to be werewolves, but it would be one hell of a cruel prank, spending a lot of money on color-changing contacts. 

Betty’s thoughts were clear as she followed her after-practice ritual and cleaned herself up. She tied her hair up into a ponytail on the top of her head and grabbed her bag before meeting Veronica in the doorway, smiling at the brunette. “Hey. Ready to go?”

Veronica nodded, smiling back at Betty. She slid her thumbs under her backpack straps, tugging nervously on them as she walked. “I’m a little surprised you haven’t asked me what’s bothering me.” She murmured. “Not that something necessarily is bothering me. I guess these last few days have caused me to have a lot on my mind.” 

Betty nodded in understanding. “I know what you mean.” She murmured, grimacing a little as she thought of the revelation that her best friend was a werewolf - as was one of her new friends. That is, if she wasn’t being pranked, along with the rest of the group. She bopped her shoulder gently against Veronica’s. “But seriously. What _is_ bothering you? Is everything okay?”

“What would you say to me if I told you that I like someone, and it’s not Archie?” Veronica turned toward Betty, eager to hear her answer. 

Betty blinked, her eyes wide. “I’d… say that that’s great.” She told Veronica earnestly. “That’s wonderful. Who is it?”

“Well, that’s what I’d like to wait to tell you.” Veronica said softly. “Because I have a feeling you might not react so well, and I’m not above using a public setting as a way to keep you from screaming at me.” 

Betty let out a soft laugh. “I wouldn’t scream at you.” She promised, and stopped walking, turning to face Veronica. “Tell me.” She said gently.

“You’re the person I like.” Veronica tightened her grip on her backpack straps, staring at Betty. “I’m not a lesbian. I still like guys. I just like girls, too. Well, not girls, plural. Not here. I like you.” 

Betty flushed, her cheeks going a soft pink as she stared at Veronica. “You - you like me?” She blurted, looking astounded. “But you’re - you’re gorgeous. You could have anyone you wanted. Why would you… why me?”

Veronica laughed, just as surprised. “Really? You’re smart and beautiful, and you’re kind. Archie is stupid for not wanting you.” 

Betty smiled softly, ducking her head as her lips twitched up into a smile. “Archie is a victim of the male stereotype, I think. Unfortunately for him, the only male stereotype I can currently think of is the dumb jock.” She clapped a hand over her mouth when she let out a giggle.

Veronica nodded. “Well, it suits him, sometimes.” She hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Um. I don’t want to put pressure on you, but do you like me, too? Or is it just something that you want to acknowledge and move on from? Or do you need to think?” 

“I…” Betty paused. “Well, obviously I like you a lot. You definitely got me thinking, um, when we first tried out for cheerleading,” she pointed out, shyly. “I think - I don’t think I actually need to think about it very much. I mean, I should, because I don’t want to be the person that says one thing and then changes their mind days later, and I definitely don’t want to do that to you, but I also want to be absolutely sure that this is definitely something that I want with you, because I’ve never met anyone like you and you’re - well, you’re just… amazing.”

Veronica smiled. “Take a couple of days and think about it. But I still want to spend time with you, no matter what.” 

Betty smiled brilliantly at her. “Good. Because I wouldn't have let you do otherwise.” She laughed softly, leaning into Veronica’s side.

“What are we going to do about these werewolves?” Veronica asked softly, wanting to put an arm around Betty, but trying to stick to her word and give her time. “And the murders?” 

Betty exhaled slowly, shyly letting her fingers brush against Veronica’s as her hands swung at her sides. “I’m… not really sure. I don’t know anything about the paranormal - or… supernatural, I guess?” She grimaced. “But the murders… The murders we can draw attention to. Maybe with an actual media focus on the murders, instead of my mother’s focus on the Blossoms, it might actually put a stop to what’s happening?”

“That would be nice.” Veronica murmured. “I survived just fine in New York City, I don’t really want to die out here.” She wrapped her hand around Betty’s. “Is this okay?”

Betty bit her lip, unable to keep herself from smiling and nodding. “More than.” She murmured, wrapping her fingers around Veronica’s.

Veronica hesitated, laughing softly and leaning in to kiss Betty. “It sounds mean.” She whispered. “But I’m so glad Archie didn’t say yes to dating you.” 

Betty’s cheeks flushed a deeper red as she tentatively kissed back. “I didn’t think it was a good thing at the time, but… I’m beginning to agree with you.” She murmured, turning her head a bit to brush her cheek softly against Veronica’s.

Veronica closed her eyes for a moment. She had originally planned on having a milkshake with her friend, but now she was content to just stay standing where they were and let the rest of the world go on around them. “Would you want to stay over at my house sometime? Maybe tonight? I’m not asking for anything. Not this quickly. I just don't want to stop spending time with you right now and it’s not just because of this. Being alone, knowing who and what might be out there, makes me nervous.” 

Betty gazed at Veronica for among moment before smiling gently and hugging the other girl tightly. “Yes. And yes.” She murmured. 

Veronica grinned, relieved. “I’ve been wanting to invite you over, anyway.” She glanced up at the moon, then laughed at her reaction. “I think it might be a good idea to either look into werewolves myself, or get someone else to do it for me.” She grinned at Betty. “Like you. You should look into it and tell me everything.” 

Betty grinned back at her. “I think I can do that.” She reassured Veronica, tangling her fingers with the other girl’s and squeezing them gently. 

“Do you really think we’re safe here?” Veronica leaned against Betty. “Because I really am freaked out. I’m not just saying it.” She started walking again, not letting go of the other girl’s hand. “We had to come all the way across the country to try to start over after what my dad did. If this was some sort of misstep - my mom grew up here, Betty. What if she knows about werewolves?” 

Betty tentatively wrapped her arm around Veronica’s waist. “I think… I think it's always possible. But it might not be, too. She might not know anything about werewolves, and maybe that's because they've… never really existed in Riverdale?” She grimaced. “I don't know if we're safe here. I wish I could tell you that we were. We can make ourselves safe, though, by just making sure that we’re not alone, that we've always got someone watching our backs.”

“Like Scott and Lydia?” Veronica looked uncertain. “I want to trust them, but they showed up out of nowhere and they’re not even in high school anymore? Or so they say, anyway.” 

“We can do research on them, too, if we need to.” Betty murmured. “But I think we can trust them. I think they like us.” She paused. “Archie, not so much, but… maybe that’s a werewolf thing?”

“I don’t know. It could be. Like a territorial thing?” Veronica guessed. “So we’ll look up everything we can find about them and werewolves. I can’t believe I left New York City for _this_.” 

Betty laughed softly. “Think of it another way.” She teased, turning to twine the fingers of her other hand with Veronica’s. “Maybe you left New York City for me.”

“Like we’re actually soulmates?” Veronica smiled. “And we finally found each other? I do like how that sounds.” 

“See?” Betty told her, grinning widely. “It sounds perfect to me.”

Veronica glanced up at the neon lights of Pop’s, then turned toward Betty again. “I’m not the kind of person who fears what anyone might say about me. Mostly. But in a town like this, with people being murdered for being different, maybe we shouldn’t hold hands in public? Kevin has had time to tell the world around him who he is and let them accept that. I haven’t.” 

Betty didn’t take offense. “I understand.” She said softly. “It’s… I mean, this is so new to me, too.”

“And with the way your parents are, it might not be the right time for you to start waving a pride flag around.” Veronica remarked. “I know I don’t know your parents very well, but from what I have seen, I figure it could end one of two ways. You could be locked in your room forever, or your mom would see it as a political statement that she would manipulate. Like all of a sudden, she’s an even more amazing parent because she’s got a daughter who likes girls. Or at least, this girl.” She pointed to herself. “Picturing your mom making a point of telling everyone in the grocery store that her daughter is gay just makes me twitch.” 

Betty thought about it, and then shuddered. “No. No, that is something that I do not want, I don’t want my mom holding me up like… her own personal pride flag. She wouldn’t ground me, she wouldn’t send me to my room, she would… wave me in people’s faces. You’re right.” She sighed.

“So we won’t tell her.” Veronica shrugged one shoulder. “We’ll be cautious around town, as much as we can be. I think Kevin can find out.” She smiled. “And maybe a few other people at school. But not too many.” 

Betty raised her eyebrows at the other girl. “Ronnie, we told Kevin to keep a lot of things secret the other day that he just blurted out.”

“Damn it, you’re right.” Veronica laughed and shook her head. “Forget that, then. I guess this is just between us.” She sat down in a booth inside the shop, resting her hands on the table and telling herself not to reach for Betty’s. 

Betty grinned and sat down across from Veronica before reaching under the table for the other girl’s hand.

Veronica grinned back and squeezed Betty’s hand gently. “I am so glad I said something. Another week of not telling you would have driven me crazy.” 

Betty beamed. “I’m really glad you said something, too. I’m not sure what things will be like, but I’m glad I’ve at least got the chance to go through it with you. We can figure it out together.”

“I like together.” Veronica tilted her head. “With as fixated as Archie has been on music lately, I think it inspired me. I’ve been listening to a lot of songs that remind me of you. And us.” She glanced around nervously. “And this is the opposite of me keeping things quiet, isn’t it?” 

Betty ducked her head to hide her grin. “Just a little. But it’s okay.” She murmured, giving Veronica’s hand another squeeze.

“Do you think about me when I’m not around?” Veronica asked quietly. 

“Honestly?” Betty started, peering at Veronica intently. “I do. I didn’t really understand why, at first. I mean…” She looked embarrassed. “The only person I ever really thought of that much was Archie. I get it now, though.”

“I think we should just get our shakes to go and walk back to my house.” Veronica suggested. “You can call your mom and tell her you’re staying over from there, right?” 

Betty nodded. “She won’t like it, but she keeps telling me to avoid you and Archie, and I haven’t done it yet.” She shrugged. “Even more unlikely that I’ll listen to her now.”

“Why doesn’t she like me?” Veronica asked automatically, then smiled. “I guess it’s probably a point in my favor, isn’t it? Would you like me if she wanted us to be friends?” 

Betty giggled. “No, probably not. I don’t care if she doesn’t like you. I think it has more to do with your mom than you, anyway. They went to high school together.”

“Oh, I am dying to know what the hell my mom did to your mom that made them hate each other.” Veronica smiled. “My mom only ever had good things to say about growing up out here. I can’t see her dumping pig’s blood on your mom or anything like that.” 

Betty grimaced. “I don’t think my parents really need any reason to dislike other people. They just need to exist. And maybe have wronged Mom and Dad in some way. I don’t even know why they hate the Blossoms, really.”

“Well, we’ll just have to add that to the list of questions that need answers.” Veronica murmured. “I think we need to call Jughead for help on this. And maybe Kevin? I don’t want to involve the werewolves we know, and I feel like Lydia might be best left in the dark for a little while longer on what we’re doing.” 

Betty chewed on her lower lip, nodding along slowly. “Yeah. I agree. I mean, I like her, but I don’t think… I don’t think it’s best for her to know what we’re researching. She doesn’t know us. Not really.” She cleared her throat. “Okay. Definitely call Jughead. Maybe leave Kevin out of this for now?”

“Oh, right. Because he’s a blabbermouth and he thinks redhead girls are a gift from God.” Veronica laughed. She called Jughead, fighting back a snort at the other teen’s nickname and wondering how the hell he ended up with such a moniker in the first place.

Jughead’s eyes widened and he ducked out of sight of the door to the music room, hurriedly answering his ringing phone. “This is the worst possible timing you could ever have, Lodge.” He blurted in a frantic whisper. “What do you want?” 

“Are you in the middle of sex?” Veronica asked, eyeing Betty as she spoke into her phone, fighting back a laugh. 

“I have no interest in sex.” Jughead muttered. “More people should really, really be like me.” He twisted around and peered through the music room window, cringing when he realized Archie and Miss Grundy were staring right at him. “Shit.” 

“What’s going on?” Veronica demanded. “I called because Betty and I need your help with something. It’s really important.” 

“And I swear I will call you right back. I can’t talk right now.” Jughead hung up and stepped back as the door opened, and Archie was frowning at him, his arms folded across his chest. “Before you ask me why I was spying on you, maybe you should answer my question about what the hell the two of you are actually doing right now?” Jughead looked at the teacher. “You know you can lose your license for this. And go to prison.” 

Miss Grundy avoided Jughead’s stare, nervously adjusting her glasses and deliberately taking a small step away from Archie without answering.

“Please don’t say anything.” Archie pleaded. “We started seeing each other last summer and I don’t want to stop now, just because the school year has started. This isn’t just - I like her!” He blurted, his eyes flashing yellow. “You can’t tell anybody.” 

Jughead stared at his former best friend, shaking his head slowly. “Who would I even tell?” 

“Uh, Betty, Veronica, Kevin...” Archie said pointedly. 

“I think we all know I’m not telling Kevin anything unless I want everyone else to know in two seconds. He’s like a big, gay bullhorn.” Jughead retorted. “Betty might want to know that you’re not interested in her because you’re seeing someone else instead of that bullshit reason you gave her for not wanting to date her.” He scoffed. “‘Oh, Betty. You’re too perfect for me! I could never be good enough for you.’” He batted his eyelashes. “I can’t believe she bought that.” 

Miss Grundy cleared her throat, looking at Archie. “Maybe you should have been a little more honest with her?” She admitted, looking reluctant. “I’m not saying that you should have told her about us, but… maybe he’s right. Maybe you should have just…” She trailed off, looking awkward.

“Stopped fucking your teacher?” Jughead supplied. 

“Stop!” Archie snapped, scowling. He turned toward Geraldine. “Please don’t let him knowing scare you off from this.” 

Miss Grundy shook her head, looking at Archie and pursing her lips. “I’ve made it clear to you that - that I want this. That I want you. I don’t want to give this up.” She glanced over at Jughead, frowning. “I want to continue this, with you. But I don’t want other people interfering. People with no business interfering between us. But I want to know that he isn’t going to broadcast this to everyone in town.”

“Give me a reason not to.” Jughead muttered. “This is insane.” He shook his head. “I should go to both of the Sheriffs, since they’re conducting a joint investigation. You know, you and I were supposed to go camping this summer.” He told Archie. “And i’m guessing now I know why you canceled on me.” 

Geraldine didn’t say anything, but the way her shoulders hunched up at his words meant that she didn’t need to. She straightened her back and looked at Archie. “It’s you and me, Archie.” She told him softly. “We’re in this together.”

Jughead stared in disbelief. “Where’d you get that from, child predator one-oh-one?” He looked at Archie. “Listen, if you don't’ come with me right now, I'm telling everyone. Your dad, Principal Weatherbee, Kevin’s dad. Kevin.” 

Archie sighed. He leaned toward Miss Grundy and kissed her softly. “I’ll talk to him and fix this.” He said quickly. “Okay? This isn’t over.” 

Geraldine nodded shakily, shutting her eyes and kissing him back lightly. “Okay.” She whispered.

Archie followed Jughead out of the building. “Who was on the phone?” He asked casually. 

“Like you didn’t pick that up with your werewolf hearing?” Jughead shook his head. “You know I was talking to Veronica. She and Betty need my help with something. I’m going to Pop’s to grab a burger. They’re probably there, anyway. If you feel like being smart, you’ll come with me.” 

“Fine, let’s go.” Archie practically growled, his earlier desperation giving way to anger. He walked with Jughead, neither of them speaking until they were sitting in the booth with Veronica and Betty, twenty minutes later. 

“Put the eyes away, Archiekins.” Veronica admonished, pointing to her own irises. “You look like an extra from Thriller, before the zombie makeup.” 

Betty kept her gaze away from him, uncomfortable at the sight of what she now knew he was. Clearing her throat, she looked at Jughead instead. “Thanks for meeting us.”

Jughead nodded, smiling tensely. He looked over at Archie, debating on whether or not he should tell the two girls what he had just witnessed. He looked back at Betty. “What’s bothering you, Betts?” 

Betty smiled at him. “Ronnie and I were trying to figure out why my mother… well, hates everyone, basically.” She sighed. “She and Dad won’t give me any actual reasons for why they look down on so many people here, and why they hate the Blossoms. We were thinking about researching the town, and we thought maybe you could help us?” She looked at him hopefully. “What do you say?”

“And we want to know everything we can find out about werewolves.” Veronica added. 

“And you didn’t call me for that?” Archie asked, frowning. 

“Well, in all fairness, maybe they didn’t want to talk to you about it because they thought you might be offended.” Jughead smirked at Archie. “But I think keeping secrets from your friends is a shitty thing to do.” 

Betty looked at Archie then, pointedly. “Juggy’s right, you know.” She said, cocking her head to the side.

Archie smiled and shook his head. “What was I going to say? ‘Hey, I ended up working late one night at a construction site in Hill Valley and a wolf bit me, and then I started getting extra hairy on full moons and sometimes I can’t sleep at night, but I can run three times as fast as I could before. My eyes glow yellow and I don’t know why, and I don’t think I can stomach the idea of looking for books on being a werewolf. I wouldn’t even know where to start and I don’t think I can just go up to a librarian and ask where the _real_ books on werewolfism are.” 

“Lycanthropy.’ Jughead mumbled. “Not ‘werewolfism.’” 

Betty sighed. “Or you could have said, ‘Hey. Someone bit me and now I think I’m a wolf. Help me’?”

“Would you have done that? Seriously, Betty.” Archie looked doubtful. “You’re telling me that if you were a werewolf, you would just tell all of us what happened and think we wouldn’t laugh like it was a horrible prank?” 

“I’m telling you that I would be panicking and utterly terrified about what was happening to me, and I absolutely would reach out to any of you for help.” Betty snapped, scowling at him. “I don’t care if you’d laughed at me - I would have eventually proven it, anyway.”

“She’s got a point.” Jughead nudged Archie. “Okay, we’ll go get started. But I think bringing the werewolf to answer questions is a good resource. Which means we should probably call the other one we know, too. So that we know what’s just an Archie thing and what’s an actual werewolf thing.” 

Betty glanced at Veronica and then nodded. “It’s a good idea.” She murmured. “Having Scott there could work like a foil, since he’s been a werewolf a lot longer than Archie.”

“Let’s ask him tomorrow night. Or later.” Archie frowned. “I don’t like him.” 

“You like everybody.” Jughead laughed. “You just don’t like him because he’s got a different eye color than you. That’s classist.” 

Betty’s lips twitched, and then she shook her head and scoffed. “Scott is a good guy.” She said firmly. “You don’t like him because you don’t like that you aren’t the special one anymore.” It sounded mean, but she couldn’t help it - she was still angry with Archie for a lot of things. She never got to be mean, she never lashed out even when she got hurt.

Veronica smiled proudly at her girlfriend, nodding to her before she rolled her eyes at Archie. “I’ve only been here a couple of weeks and I can tell that for some reason, which I don’t really know what that reason is, you’re pretty much the town darling. Have you ever even done anything to earn it?” 

“What the hell is this with the three of you?” Archie snarled, shoving his hands under the table and resting them on his knees when he realized his claws had emerged. He closed his eyes, ducking his head to hide his fangs and sudden onslaught of facial hair. “Shut up.” He rasped. “Just leave me alone.” 

Betty shook her head at him, sliding out of her seat and standing up. She paused, eyeing Jughead and waiting for him and Veronica to join her. “Whatever you say, Arch.”

Veronica and Jughead exchanged looks, then nodded to each other and got out of the booth. Veronica put a hand on Betty’s shoulder. “We’ll go to my house. With security and everything. It’s safe there.” 

Betty smiled softly at Veronica, itching to take the other girl’s hand. “Okay.” She agreed simply, and gave Jughead a smile as well.


	13. Chapter 13

After school on Tuesday, Veronica saw Lydia leaning against her locker. She hadn’t been sure how to bring up the subjects of Jason or werewolves during any of their classes or at lunch, especially not with Archie so close by. But now, she approached Lydia and smiled at her. “We should just start a club. Or pretend to start one, at least. It would make it easier to explain needing to talk to you and Scott about anything at all, actually.” 

Lydia glanced at her phone, then put it in her purse. “I guess that’s something we took for granted at our school.” She mused. “By the time we were... ready to move,” she said carefully, glancing at a freshman that was walking past them. “Everyone seemed to be clued in that our lives were not only different from theirs, but that we knew enough about handling situations that would otherwise spiral out of control. We weren’t exactly the most discreet group of people. But that’s in the past.” She looked down at her purse again and wondered if it was really the right idea, sending Cheryl off to live in the same apartment as Theo. Even with Allison and Stiles there, she was having second thoughts about agreeing to it. She turned her head, looking down the hall to where Scott’s locker was. “You’re needed over here.” She said softly, crooking a finger at him and smiling. 

Scott looked up at her, and felt the softest smile he’d ever given cross his face at the sight of her. He straightened, closed his locker, grabbed his books and strolled toward Lydia and Veronica, wrapping his arm around the former and kissing her sweetly. 

Lydia leaned against Scott. “Veronica says we need our own version of a bat signal.” She teased. “And Ally made it to D.C. without much trouble. The airline lost her luggage.” 

Scott frowned. “Did she find it, at least?” He asked, tugging Lydia against his chest. He pressed his lips to her forehead, and then looked up at Veronica. “What would you recommend?”

Veronica gestured to Lydia, letting her speak first. She felt wistful, hoping that one day, she and Betty could be as open with their affection. 

“She said it was handled.” Lydia said carefully. “She and I aren’t on equal ground with her living out there. I’m trying to be a good friend, but I think you’re the only one who can understand, since Stiles is out there, as well.” She ignored the little whispered voice telling her that things were a little different between herself and Allison, since they hadn’t grown up together and weren’t dealing with the Westermarck Effect, the way that Scott and Stiles were. 

Scott’s eyes were gentle as he looked back down at Lydia. “Yeah, I definitely understand.” He sighed, resting his head against hers. “She said it was only for a little while, babe. She’ll be back before you know it.”

Veronica was quiet, not wanting to interrupt the moment between the couple, but she gave in after slowly counting to thirty before she decided they needed to listen. “Jughead, Betty and I were trying to research everything last night, instead of bombarding you with questions. But we didn’t really get anywhere and we could use more of an explanation than you gave us the other day, before you two ran off to have sex.” She smiled smugly. “Don’t pretend it was for any other reason.” 

Scott refused to look guilty, despite the red flush creeping across his cheeks. “Uh… okay, so what do you want to know?” He asked her. “You were researching everything. Everything what? Werewolves?”

“Yes!” Veronica blurted. “And we got nowhere. Everything about werewolves just seems fake, and Archie is about as useful as a bag of dead bees, when it comes to answering questions. You’re not new to this, you can help.” She gave Scott a pleading look. “We’re at a loss.” 

Scott gave her a small smile. “There’s still a lot of stuff that I don’t understand myself. But of course I’ll help you, with whatever I can help you with.”

“Does that mean you’ll come over to my house?” Veronica smiled back at Scott. 

Josie walked down the hall, toward the music room. She smiled brightly. “Hey, Scott.” She drawled, drawing out her words. Her smile turned into a smirk as she made eye contact with Lydia, and she stopped walking. “I’m thinking about writing a song about you.” She laughed. “But I feel like ‘Scott’ and ‘hot’ are too derivative, when it comes to rhyming. Even though it’s true. What do you think?” 

Lydia glanced at Veronica, rolling her eyes and smiling before she spoke to Josie. “You could try ‘snot.’” She said brightly. “Or something a little more vulgar, like ‘twat.’” 

Scott looked bewildered and more than a little confused. “Wait, what?” He asked, looking at his girlfriend. “Who’s a twat?”

“Is he always this precious?” Veronica asked, a startled smile on her face. She glanced at Josie, mouthing ‘sorry’ to her. She liked the singer and thought they could easily be friends, but she didn’t want to alienate herself from Scott or Lydia. Not when she needed answers from them. 

Lydia stayed silent until Josie was gone, then spoke. “She probably should expect remarks like that, even if she’s never heard one. Josie and the Pussycats.” She scoffed. “She got the wrong type of animal. She’s a complete bi-” She frowned when her phone rang, but stepped away as she pulled it out of her purse to answer it. 

“I would say she’s jealous.” Veronica glanced at Lydia, then looked at Scott. “But I have eyes. She’s got no reason to be.” 

Scott straightened a little, smiling softly. “She really doesn’t.” He murmured, staring after Lydia. 

“How long have you been in love with her?” Veronica asked quietly. 

Scott took a deep breath, swallowing. “I think… I sort of started to suspect I had feelings for her a few years ago. We, uh - my best friend got possessed by this evil fox spirit. And… none of us knew it, I don’t think he even knew it. He lost a lot of time whenever that thing took over.” He glanced at Veronica, and then looked back at Lydia. “She was by my side, through everything. She’s… From what I understand, most packs are mostly wolves and humans. Not banshees, not coyotes, not kitsunes or hellhounds. Just wolves and humans. And her voice… something about her voice, her wail, it solidified our pack bond. Made us a real pack.” He smiled crookedly. “I was a newly minted Alpha. Having her there, her and Stiles and Allison and Derek… it brought everything together, the way it should have.” He rubbed his chin, going silent. 

“So the two of you have sort of been together since then, even though you didn’t really know it at the time?” Veronica suggested. “That’s really sweet.” 

Scott blinked. “Oh… no. I - I was seeing someone, sort of. And she was seeing… um, someone. And then my former someone died, and her someone died, but I was still seeing my current someone, and she moved on to someone else. And then it, uh… it - it got a little chaotic for awhile there, and then her someone ended up being Stiles, and my someone… went into the desert for supernatural training and I haven’t seen her since.”

“I’ll pretend I followed all of that.” Veronica laughed. “Does your someone in the desert know that you’re not pining for her anymore?” 

“Well… no.” Scott admitted. “But I don’t really have a way to get in contact with her.” He sighed. “When she left, she told me that it could be days, weeks, months… years before we would see each other again. She’s secluded. So… we broke up. It wasn’t fair to her to have to feel… beholden to me, and it wasn’t fair to me to never see her. We kissed, we said goodbye, and she walked off into the desert sunset with a bunch of mystical warrior women.”

Veronica’s eyes widened. “Is that shit going to happen to us, too?” She blurted. “I don’t want to spend years in the desert.” 

Lydia laughed, walking back over to them and putting her arm around Scott. “Kira’s a kitsune.” She explained. “Just think of her training as being like... kitsune college. You won’t have to worry about it.” 

Scott smiled softly down at her, pressing his lips to her hair and hugging her close with one arm. “It’s not a vocation, she didn’t pick the job she wanted. She was born to it. It’s a specialty class.”

“It’s a calling.” Lydia murmured. “A little different from what you and I are dealing with.” She smiled at Scott, then turned toward Veronica. “Come on, we’ll drive to your house. Does anyone else need a ride?” 

“I do!” Betty called, hurrying to meet up with them. She looked at Veronica and grinned sheepishly. “I was waiting on Juggy to get out of class. I figured he’d want a ride, too. Probably. Definitely.”

“Yeah, walking is overrated.” Jughead smiled crookedly. “So, is this all of us? Are we waiting for Archie?” 

“I’d rather walk barefoot through Queens.” Veronica muttered. “Can we just go?” 

Lydia laughed. “I think that’s a good idea. No Kevin?” 

“We’ve come to the conclusion that Kevin is probably the one most likely to write a tell-all book about this town.” Veronica started walking toward the building’s closest exit. 

Jughead blinked, tilting his head as he thought over Veronica’s statement. He hurried to catch up to her. 

“A tell-all book - oh, I get it!” Scott blurted, brightening. “Because he can’t keep secrets!”

Betty glanced at Veronica and Jughead and giggled. “That’s exactly why.”

“I’ve decided that Scott is adorable.” Veronica nodded. She climbed up carefully into the back of the truck. “We should commandeer this for the movie night, this weekend.” 

Scott hugged the side of the truck. “No commandeering. My truck. Or - not technically my truck, but mine. We’ll all take a break, hop in and go to the movies.”

Lydia smiled as she got into the front seat. “I might have to miss out on this. I need to talk to Cheryl about a few things. Could you drop me off?” She asked Scott. “You don’t have to drive all the way up that hill, I can walk from the bottom of it.” 

Scott scoffed at her as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “We’ve been through this. Making you walk when you don’t need to is rude, and undermines the delusions I have that I’m a gentleman. I’m driving you up the hill… to the creepy house.” He hesitated, and then looked back at everyone else. “Does she really live there? Is it haunted?”

“We went to a party there recently. It’s a little creepy, but it’s not haunted. Probably. I don’t know anything about any of this.” Veronica laughed. “That’s why I want you crazies to teach me.” 

“Oh, we’ll teach you.” Scott sighed, starting up the truck. “And you’ll probably regret knowing.”

Betty dropped down next to Veronica, turning a little toward her. “Probably.” She agreed. “But we’ve already decided. So you might as well just teach us anyway.”

Veronica leaned against Betty. She was tired and didn’t want to hide, not when the only people who would see were Jughead, Scott and Lydia. She reached for her girlfriend’s hand. 

Jughead eyed them curiously, but he didn’t say anything as he got into the truck with them. 

Lydia kissed Scott’s cheek, then fastened her seatbelt and started rummaging through her purse for some lip gloss. 

Scott smiled at her and pulled onto the road.

Betty looked up at Jughead and smiled shyly, leaning against Veronica and squeezing her girlfriend’s hand gently.

“Is this new?” Jughead asked finally, gesturing to their linked hands. 

Betty nodded slowly, biting her lower lip. “Very.” She said softly. “Yesterday-ish.”

“Okay.” Jughead got a book out of his backpack and started reading it, not having anything more to say. 

Veronica smiled over at Betty. “I think that means he approves?” 

Betty let out a quiet laugh. “Either that, or it doesn’t affect him enough for him to care.”


	14. Chapter 14

Lydia knocked on Cheryl’s front door and waited for the taller redhead to answer it, but she wondered who else was on the other side of the door and what they might think of her. She had thought of herself as living a more than modest existence in high school; Cheryl’s house made her feel like a peasant.

Cheryl answered the door carefully, peering past the edge with wide eyes. “Oh! Hello.” She greeted, opening the door the rest of the way and stepping back to allow Lydia in.

Lydia smiled and walked into the house. “I’m glad you answered. I sort of expected an Alfred type. Or Lurch. I’ve spent way too much time around my ex-boyfriend.” She laughed. “I need to talk to you privately and I want to see your room, anyway. Show me?” 

Cheryl gave Lydia a small smile and nodded. “Of course. Right this way, please.” She led the way up to her bedroom. “My mother is out, and my father is…” She trailed off, and then shrugged. “I don’t particularly know or care what my father is doing at the moment. So there’s no one to interrupt us.”

“Great!” Lydia beamed. She sat down on Cheryl’s bed and looked up at her. “Answer this for me, before I say anything else. Do you really want to be living here, with your parents, while they treat you so badly?” 

Cheryl was silent for a moment, and then sighed and shook her head. “No, but what can I do about it?”

“I’m glad you asked.” Lydia walked over to the closet doors and opened them. “You can leave. I spoke to some people and there are papers waiting for you at the airport. You can go tonight. My ex is one of my best friends, and he’s living with his boyfriend and my best friend, on the other side of the country. Your parents won’t be able to find you. It’s all taken care of. I know it’s a lot, and you don’t have to trust me. But I’m asking you to, because all I want right now is to help keep you safe.” 

Cheryl put a hand over her mouth, looking stunned. “You did that?” She asked softly. “You - I can’t believe you did that.”

“I don’t want anyone to be stuck going through what I had to go through.” Lydia shook her head. “My mom once had me committed for my own safety, even though everyone tried to tell her she was just putting me in more danger. Your family is knowledgeable about this sort of thing and they’re treating you badly because you’re not like them, and I’m more than a little worried about what they might try to do to you, because of it. I would have probably tried to kidnap you if you didn’t want to leave.” She smiled wryly, thinking of how Scott had done that to Liam. “Hopefully with better success than other people I know. It’s a joke. I guess. Come on, I’ll help you pack.” 

Cheryl smiled at her softly and nodded. “I’m… I’ve got to think of a way to erase my scent, though.” She said. “Otherwise, it won’t matter where I hide or how far I go, they’ll still be able to find me.”

“I came prepared.” Lydia unzipped her backpack and got a plastic bag out of it, unwrapping it to reveal more plastic bags that she took off in layers until all she was left holding was a jar of purple powder. “Wolfsbane. But I’m guessing I don’t have to explain that to you?” 

Cheryl tentatively reached out to take it. “No, not at all.” She murmured, pursing her lips a little at the jar.

“All I have to do is scatter this in different places around town.” Lydia smiled. “And they’ll just be too confused and irritated to know what to do with themselves. You’ll be fine.” 

Cheryl reached out to grab Lydia’s hand, squeezing tightly. “Thank you.” She murmured softly. “I mean it. Thank you so much. The only person who’s ever looked out for me like this is - Jason.”

“I know I can’t replace him. I’m not trying to. But you need more people on your side, and I’m sending you to a few of them.” Lydia hugged Cheryl. 

Cheryl hugged her back tightly, letting out a shaky breath and shutting her eyes. “Thank you.” She said again, trembling. 

“You’re welcome.” Lydia started packing clothes into Cheryl’s suitcase, looking around the room. “Is there anything from Jason’s room that you want to grab for yourself?”

Cheryl licked her lips. “There are a million things I want to grab from Jason’s room.” She said softly. “I don't have the first clue what I would actually take.”

“Then go get everything.” Lydia nodded in encouragement. “I can come with you, if you want me to.” 

Cheryl nodded. “Please do.” She said softly, and moved to head out of the room toward her deceased brother’s. 

Lydia followed behind Cheryl, gripping the jar of wolfsbane, just in case they needed it. 

Cheryl stepped inside Jason’s room quietly, looking reverent as she entered. Several things immediately caught her eye, and she picked them up, clutching them tightly in her hands before she moved on to the next. “It's like I can still feel him here.” She said softly, her voice breaking. 

Lydia watched silently, taking note of the fact that Cheryl’s behavior was reminiscent of a grieving widow. She felt a little guilty for thinking it, but figured it wasn’t too far off, since Jason was Cheryl’s closest friend and family member. She had often thought of the pack as being like family to her, and sometimes that had meant she viewed Scott as a brother, and sometimes she hadn’t felt that way at all. “When my best friend was... gone.” She began softly. “I felt like she was with me every day, despite her absence. I even kept a few of her shirts.” 

Cheryl buried her face in her hands, starting to softly cry. “How do you cope with this kind of thing? How do you - wake up every day and know that you aren't ever going to see them again? That they're just gone?”

“Because they’re not.” Lydia said softly. She reached up to brush a lock of Cheryl’s hair away from her face. “Because when you meet someone who’s had a big impact on your life, who was part of it... you’re part of them and they’re part of you. Probably even more so for you and your twin brother.” She mused. “I think when a person enters your life like that, part of their soul goes to you, and part of yours goes to them. You’re sad right now because it feels like part of you is missing, and it sort of is. He took it with him. But he left part of himself with you, too. I don’t normally say things like this. It sounds a little odd to hear it from my own voice. But I’ve learned that I kind of have to believe in the existence of souls. Or spirits. Since I see and hear them. Death leaves an echo, too. Sometimes.” 

Cheryl wiped at her eyes, leaning against Lydia’s side. “And what do I do if I can't bring myself to believe in the existence of anything anymore?” She asked softly. 

“Then you believe in yourself.” Lydia said easily, thinking of her own struggles when she was a sophomore - legitimately, not this time around. “And science.” She laughed. “And math. Things with rules that make sense.”


	15. Chapter 15

Veronica pointed toward the hallway of her apartment. “The bathroom is that way. Everything else is kind of obvious, so if you can’t find something, I don’t know that I want to help you.” She teased. “I’m kind of disappointed that my surrogate big sister had to bail to help Cheryl, but I guess I get it.” 

Betty looked amused. “We get to have her around more than Cheryl does.” She comforted Veronica. “It’ll be okay.”

Veronica smiled. “I know.” She nodded. She sat down on the couch and looked up at Scott. “Okay, tell us everything we need to know.” 

Jughead laughed quietly as he sat by Veronica, leaving enough room for Betty to sit beside the brunette. “I think we should probably make a list of things we want to know, so he can answer that way, instead of just lobbing questions at him.” 

Scott smiled weakly. “Yeah, do that. I’m, uh, I’m still not quite good at the whole… you know, werewolf tutoring thing yet.”

Jughead grabbed his notebook from his backpack and flipped to the back of it, writing down some questions. “Okay, I’ll just add to this as we go?” He looked to Betty for confirmation. “But first thing, I want to know how you became a werewolf. Full details.” 

“Uh, okay.” Scott clasped his hands together. “Well, it was… because Stiles and I went into the woods to look for a dead body.” He started. “I didn’t - we got separated. And then Derek’s formerly comatose Uncle Peter bit me. And… it took. That’s all it took.” He sighed. “You can only turn by the bite of an Alpha werewolf. And Peter… had murdered Derek’s sister Laura to take the power from her.”

“Ugh.” Veronica shuddered. “Honey, you need new friends.” She shook her head. “So why were you out looking for a corpse? Is Stiles a banshee like Moose and Lydia?” 

Jughead started scrawling furiously, trying to keep up.

Scott snorted out a laugh. “No, Stiles is the son of our esteemed sheriff who has illegal access to his dad’s radio and enough curiosity to get a hundred cats killed.”

“Why would...” Jughead began, then paused, shaking his head. “Nevermind, forget that I was even close to asking that. I forgot about the expression about cats and curiosity. So you went looking for a dead body and you were bitten by an Alpha werewolf. Then whoever bit Archie was an Alpha, too. But your eyes are red and his are yellow. Why?” 

Scott preened a little bit, even as he blushed. “Well, uh… My eyes used to be yellow. When I first turned, they were yellow. But Alphas have red eyes, and… I guess it’s something that hadn’t happened in over a hundred years, but… because of who I was, who I am as a person, my convictions, my beliefs… it made me - I’m, uh - I’m what’s called a True Alpha. I didn’t gain the Alpha power through murder, and it wasn’t passed down to me.” He shrugged a little. “I’m the first of my line.”

“So you’re some kind of royal werewolf?” Veronica guessed. “Okay. So Stiles... um, Stilinski, right? And some guys named Derek and Peter in Beacon Hills. And Laura? So you used to be a yellow-eyed wolf, and you ascended or something like that.” She glanced over at Jughead’s notes. “How did you meet Lydia, again? Wait, you told me this earlier. I’m not normally a spacebrain, this is just a lot to take in. Lydia was dating Stiles and then she became a banshee and Allison is the kitsune? No, wait. Kira is the kitsune. Jughead, stop writing, you’re just going to have to cross everything out.” 

Jughead glanced up at Veronica, scowling. “Shut up for two seconds, would you?” 

Scott was glancing between Veronica and Jughead, looking more and more bewildered before blurting out loudly, “I need Stiles!” He fumbled for his phone in a panic, turning away.

Betty put her hand on Veronica’s arm, smiling gently. “Breathe.” She ordered. “You’re overwhelming yourself, and you’re overwhelming Scott.”

Veronica smiled widely and kissed Betty, resting a hand on her shoulder. “I feel better now.” 

Betty laughed, kissing her back. “Good, I’m glad.”

“If I’m right, there’s a pattern to this.” Jughead whispered to the girls, glancing at Scott. “Because you have the Sheriff’s son being there with someone else when a werewolf’s body is found, and then a bunch of other murders start happening, and Beacon Hills has a banshee, and so does Riverdale. And the banshee is interested in the Sheriff’s kid, but also... a werewolf?” Jughead gestured toward Scott. “So Moose likes Archie? Or he liked Jason? Or there are a lot of other werewolves and I’m grasping at straws.” 

Betty looked sympathetic. “I think there are a lot of parallels, but I also think that there is a lot more to this than we understand and than Scott can explain to us just yet. So I think we’ll all be grasping at straws for a while.”

“Does anyone else want some wine?” Veronica stood up. 

“None for me.” Jughead muttered. He knew better than to go near alcohol, since it had wrecked his dad’s life and his, in turn. He blinked when a guy with brown hair and a hoodie appeared out of nowhere beside Scott. “Uh, maybe a shot?” He looked up at Veronica. “And I'm sorry, where’s your bathroom, again?” 

Veronica laughed and pointed. “Down the hall.” She eyed the newcomer as Jughead wandered off. “I don’t think my security system is very good if people can just apparate like that.” 

Scott had let out a yelp of surprise, and was in the middle of laughing and throwing himself at Stiles in delight. “How did you do that, dude? That's amazing! Oh my god, Stiles, are you a wizard? Did you get your Hogwarts letter late?”

Stiles laughed. “No, Theo is actually useful. For a few reasons. I know, inappropriate. Sorry not sorry. I don’t want to do it all the time, but it’s going to save me a lot of money on flights.” He hugged Scott. “Okay, you’re one to talk about Hogwarts, anyway. Trying to be like Dumbledore over here.” He gave Scott a fond smile. “Did you sort them yet? Can I do it? Is this a thing?” 

Scott laughed. “I'm trying to give them a crash course in Werewolves One-oh-One. It's going badly. Veronica is like a much less bookworm-y Hermione.”

“Which is funny, because that's her mother’s name.” Betty piped up. “Hi!”

“Hey.” Stiles nodded to the blonde girl. “I’m Stiles, in case you didn’t catch that.” He laughed. “Scott means well, but he’s not good at explaining things. He tries to give bad speeches to people. It’s hilarious and sad. So I’m here to help.” 

Scott pouted. “It's not like I do it on purpose.” He protested.

“Yeah.” Stiles laughed. “Okay.” He rubbed his hands together. “I need a few things. Red thread, and green. And yellow. Unless you’ve got yarn? And I need a blank wall that you don’t mind me pinning or taping stuff to.” 

Veronica left the room and came back with a sewing kit and a roll of washi tape. “Don’t judge me, I used to put this stuff on everything.” 

“Definitely no judging.” Betty laughed. 

Stiles gave Veronica a grateful smile and started taping pictures to the wall, then used thread to show connections between things. 

Veronica watched curiously, wondering if werespiders were legitimate creatures and if Stiles was one, the way he so effortlessly created a web on the wall in front of her. “Spiderman.” She muttered to herself, not realizing she had spoken until Stiles turned toward her. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Stiles glanced from Veronica to the wall, wondering if he had somehow put an incorrect picture up somewhere. 

“You’re like Spiderman.” Veronica looked a little embarrassed. “Building a web. Nevermind, it wasn’t even meant to be a thing I said out loud. Is Spiderman a werespider, by the way? He was bitten by a spider and got spider abilities.” 

Stiles’ mouth opened and closed as he stared at Veronica. “You know, maybe.” He said finally. “I don’t know if anyone else has ever thought of that. He’s probably more of a shapeshifter than Wolverine is, since Wolverine’s claws were created in a lab and they’re metal, not actual claws.” 

Scott was grinning foolishly, patting Stiles’ shoulder and giving Veronica a proud look. “You just made him think something he'd never thought before. Impressive.”

Veronica smiled back at Scott. “New York City has comic book stores everywhere, and I didn’t like traditional books for most of elementary school.”

Betty stared at her. “I am seeing a whole new side of you, and I like it.” 

“How much do you like it?” Veronica grinned. 

Betty grinned and leaned close to kiss her girlfriend. “So much.”

“What’s the best store?” Stiles asked curiously. “If I ever have time, I might go.” 

“Midtown.” Veronica said immediately. “You have to go to there.” 

Scott lifted his hand and looked at Stiles. “If you're going, you're taking me.”

“Like that was even a question?” Stiles smiled. “Maybe this weekend.”

Scott grinned. “This weekend sounds awesome.” 

“Okay, this doesn’t relate to the wall of weird.” Veronica interrupted. “But... you were dating Lydia, right?” She asked Stiles. 

“Until four days ago, yes.” Stiles nodded. 

“And now you are.” Veronica turned her head to speak to Scott. “And you’re both so calm about it?”

“Are we supposed to hate each other for this?” Stiles asked Scott, smiling. 

Scott smiled back at him and shrugged. “I guess if we didn’t have our heads on straight we would.” He looked at Veronica. “Stiles has been my best friend, my brother, for the last fourteen years. It would take a lot more to make us hate each other, I think.”

“I’m okay with Lydia moving on with Scott because Scott is awesome.” Stiles added. “And there’s no reason for her to be alone and miserable while I’m not around. When she broke up with me, when I left the other day, neither of us knew I’d be able to do this.” He gestured around himself to indicate the way he had shown up at Veronica’s apartment. “And I’ve never had a problem with someone liking more than one person at a time. I have. I’m sure everybody else I know has. Life would be pretty boring if you fell in love with someone and never even looked at anyone else.” 

Scott nodded in agreement. “I’m lucky enough that my best friend was understanding enough of my feelings that he actually threatened me if I hadn’t done anything about being with Lydia by the time he came home for his first school break. The fact that he can do this now…” He paused. “Well, we’re kind of weirdly codependent, and it was difficult as hell, him being on the other side of the country. So this, his new super-warp ability or whatever, it’s totally a blessing, and it means that Lydia doesn’t have to stop seeing him now if she doesn’t want to. It sounds weird, but…” He looked embarrassed as he shrugged. “He’s my family. If Lydia wants to see the both of us, then believe me, I don’t have a problem with it.”

“Really?” Stiles looked startled, then laughed. “Uh, I guess I shouldn’t be that shocked. Right about now, I think Theo and Allison are taking advantage of me not being there. And I’m fine with that, too.” 

Veronica reached out for Betty’s hand, not taking her eyes off of Scott and Stiles. “How...” She stammered. “Are all werewolves polyamorous? Is Archie going to be like this?” 

“I doubt it.” Jughead muttered, walking past her to study the wall. 

“Also, I’m not a werewolf.” Stiles smiled. 

Scott smiled crookedly. “Honestly, I think it’s just us. We’re so integrated into each other’s lives that…” He shrugged. 

Betty curled her fingers around Veronica’s, looking at her girlfriend. “Jughead’s right.” She shook her head. “If Archie was going to be like that, he wouldn’t have had a problem with making moves on me, and making moves on you.” She paused, and rolled her eyes. “Or anyone else that looked at him twice.”

“Who is Archie?” Stiles asked Scott. “He sounds like a jackass.” 

Scott cleared his throat, grimacing. “Newly turned werewolf from Riverdale. Betty, I think, knows him better. And Jughead.”

Betty shook her head. “I don’t think I know him at all, actually.” She mumbled, leaning against Veronica.

“Archie and Betty and I have grown up together.” Jughead explained, seeing Stiles’ confused expression. “But Archie’s been different since he was turned.” 

“Who turned him?” Stiles sat down on the couch and looked up at the younger teens. 

“We don’t know.” Veronica shook her head. “I don’t think he knows, either. And talking to him gets us nowhere.” 

Betty grimaced. “He just gets…” She pursed her lips, looking down. “He gets defensive, and angry. Confrontational. It isn’t worth getting into it with him when he gets like that, it was bad enough before he was turned.”

Veronica glanced up when there was a knock on the door. She answered it, smiling and looking over her shoulder at Scott and Stiles before she turned back toward Lydia and Cheryl. “Come on in. We’re talking about... well, everything.” 

Lydia nodded to Smithers, who had escorted her and Cheryl up to Veronica’s apartment. “Thank you.” She murmured. 

“It’s no problem, Miss Martin.” Smithers bowed slightly and grinned at her, then walked back over to the elevator. 

Scott straightened immediately, grinning widely at Lydia and brandishing both hands in delight at Stiles. “Lydia, look who’s here!” He blurted, moving right to her side and wrapping his arm around her waist.

Lydia leaned against Scott, smiling at Stiles. “Hey. How did you get here so fast? I was just on the phone with you less than two hours ago.” 

“Ley lines.” Stiles patted the couch beside him. “How’s life as a high school sophomore?” 

“Exhausting.” Lydia laughed. She sat down, turning toward her ex-boyfriend. “Are you all right? Should you be doing that? Traveling that way?” 

Stiles squinted at her, not sure what she meant until he remembered using the ley lines to travel when he was possessed. “Maybe not?” 

Scott started to sit by them until he realized that Cheryl was still standing by the door, looking uncertain and trying very badly to hide it. He gave her a small smile and led her toward the free spot on the couch on Lydia’s other side, before propping himself on the arm of the couch. He looked at Stiles. “Is it dangerous for you? How have you been feeling since you’ve been doing it?” He asked, feeling guilty for not having thought to ask before.

“Well, the first time I did it, I didn’t actually mean to. And I didn’t even get anywhere. Almost.” Stiles glanced at Lydia. “I mean, the first time since... I moved. Uh, anyway, all Theo had really told me at the point was that I needed to meditate, to focus. I ended up zoned out and I found the ley line, but he snapped me out of it before I traveled. Once I knew how to do it, it was easy. I’m trying to tell myself not to do it all the time, but I don’t know. If I’m capable of it, shouldn’t I be trying to do it more, not less?” 

Betty frowned at him. “Not if it puts a strain on your body.” She told him. “You should be doing research on it, actually. I don’t know anything about ley lines, and traveling them, but I know that this sort of thing usually puts an immense sort of pressure on a human body in movies and stories, and most stories are rooted in a hint of truth. I get that it’s easier to do, and… honestly, I think if I was capable of it, I’d be thinking the same way, but…” She shook her head. “I don’t know. Sorry.”

“You know, I’m still thinking my theory holds.” Stiles spoke to Lydia and Scott, but his gaze was on Betty. “If each of us has a counterpart, or even more than one out here, then we should probably be trying to figure out who our successors are and preparing them for anything they might encounter, based on what we went through. Besides, it can help us figure out who started this. If it was a someone and not a _something_.”

Scott glanced at Lydia and then sighed. “Well, if Archie is supposed to be _my_ counterpart, then the universe is laughing at us.” 

“Because you never had control issues?” Stiles remarked dryly. He stood back up, eyeing the connecting lines he had created for a moment before he started tearing it all down. “We’re starting over.” He turned his head slightly to speak over his shoulder. “None of this applies just yet.” He taped Scott’s picture up on the wall, then his, then Lydia’s. “I need paper.” Almost as soon as he finished saying it, Jughead handed him a few sheets from his notebook. “Thanks.” He folded one sheet in half twice and tore it into four pieces, then wrote on one of the quarter-sheets. ‘Sheriff’s son. Researcher. Troublemaker. Human.’ He eyed the paper for a moment, then handed it to Scott, knowing his friend would know automatically that Stiles wanted him to add anything that he could think of. He started on Scott’s paper next. ‘True Alpha. Bitten without consent. Believes the best of just about everyone.’ He handed Scott’s description paper to Lydia, then began writing one for her. ‘Banshee. Genius. Can be vengeful when she’s angry. Refuses to associate with people who have wronged her.’

Lydia read over Scott’s succinct profile and added, ‘Wide knowledge of medicine. Tactful. Optimistic.’ She leaned toward Scott, resting a hand on Cheryl’s shoulder as she tried to read what her boyfriend was writing about Stiles. 

Scott smiled faintly as he wrote across the slip of paper. ‘Loyal to a fault. Hypervigilant ‘with an intense knack for knowing who the bad guy is.” He couldn’t help grinning as he added, ‘Incredibly nosy when it comes to his dad’s radio, and random dead bodies in the woods.’

Lydia laughed. “Here.” She held Scott’s paper out to him. “Give me the one for Stiles.” 

Scott smiled back at her, accepting his sheet as he passed Stiles’ sheet to her. He couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss her, though he did give Cheryl an apologetic look for nearly squishing her between them when he pulled back. “Sorry.”

Cheryl smiled tightly. “Not a problem. I love being literally stuck between lovers.”

Lydia laughed. “Remarks like that will only result in you getting stuck in the middle of a group hug.” She gestured from Stiles to Scott. “These two are serious about their hugs.” 

“Yeah, we saw that.” Veronica nodded. 

Scott grinned brightly. “Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” He told her seriously, nodding.

“Oh, god.” Betty blurted, laughing a little. “What exactly does that mean?” She asked.

Scott hesitated, blinking for a moment. “Well, it’s not like… we don’t - I didn’t mean that he and I do stuff or anything. Is that how it sounded?” He looked at Lydia. “Is that how I made it sound?”

“You both made it sound like that.” Stiles interjected. “Cheryl said she loved being stuck between lovers, and _you_ -” He put his hand on Lydia’s shoulder as he spoke, “said that Scott and I were hug-crazed. We’re not lovers, so that was an awkward leap in logic. And then _you_...” Stiles shook his head at Scott. “You kind of always make remarks that make us sound like we’re planning to move to Vermont and raise ducks.” 

Lydia burst out laughing. “For being so concerned about what we’re saying, you came up with that life plan pretty quickly. Wasn’t it your goal at the start of last year to move into an apartment with Scott and attend the same college?” 

Stiles took his hand away from Lydia’s shoulder, pouting at her. 

Cheryl cleared her throat. “To be fair, I was referring to Scott and Lydia when I said that. Considering he all but threw himself across me to get to her.”

Scott flushed, looking embarrassed. “Sorry.” He said again. 

“Yeah, I got that.” Stiles nodded to Cheryl. “I’m talking about the fact that the girl that’s dated both of us seems to have an idea in her head that concerns me.” 

A coy look appeared on Cheryl’s face as she glanced at Lydia. “Is that true?” She asked, peering at the other redhead. “And if it is - details. Excessive details.”

“Details about dating both of them, or details about ideas that I may or may not have had?” Lydia asked casually. 

“Hmm. A little of this, a little of that.” Cheryl murmured, and then peered at both boys with interest. “You went from dating one guy to dating his best friend, and not a lick of drama was found between the three of you. I'm interested in knowing all of it. Or,” she amended, shrugging one shoulder delicately. “Whatever information you feel inclined to divulge, of course.”

Veronica laughed. “You missed that conversation. We had it already with these two. The gist is that they’re bros and everybody is happy with the way things have turned out. But then Scott said that if Lydia wants to keep dating Stiles too, that’s fine.” 

Lydia blinked. “What?” She looked at Scott. “You said what?” 

“Don’t answer, it’s a trap.” Stiles blurted, his eyes wide. “She’s not happy. She’s going to kill you, Scott.”

Scott kept his mouth shut, but exhaled shakily, suddenly looking more than a little terrified. 

Betty stared wide-eyes at Veronica. “Okay, that?” She hissed. “Was something Kevin would have done!”

“I didn’t know!” Veronica blurted. “I don’t know these people!” 

Scott sighed. “It's alright, Veronica.” He said quietly, and stood up. He looked at Lydia hesitantly. “Can we talk in the hallway?”

“Of course we can.” Lydia followed Scott out of the apartment, closing the door firmly behind her. She didn’t slam it because it wasn’t her house, but she was tempted. “Who do you want to see, other than me?” She demanded. “Because you seem like you were pleased at the idea of this being open, from what Veronica just said. And you made me sit by Stiles deliberately. What are you trying to do?” 

Scott stared at her. “Stiles patted the spot next to him and told you to take a seat. And Cheryl looked terrified, except when she was near you, so I made her sit next to you. I didn't force you to sit anywhere, Lydia.” He shut his eyes for a moment. “There's no one else. Not for me. But part of me still feels like you deserve your chance with Stiles. That's why I said that. Veronica misunderstood, Lydia, I'm not looking to - I'm not looking to dump you or something. I would never do that, I'm in love with you.”

“No, I -” Lydia leaned back against the wall, folding her arms over her chest and frowning at Scott. “I’m not saying you want to break up. Unless you do and you’re just too scared to say that. I was only saying that maybe you want to be dating someone else in addition to me. I don’t want to be with Stiles, I want to be with you. I’m not so sure I’m comfortable seeing more than one person at a time. Allison even suggested this to me the other day and I told her I thought she was projecting. I did - and maybe still do have feelings for Stiles. But he’s not the person I want to be with. Although, if you do want to see someone else, I’m sure there are a lot of girls at our new school who would be happy to indulge you.” Her voice shook in anger. “Like Josie, maybe.” 

“What?” Scott looked bewildered. “Lydia, I literally just said that there is no one else for me and that I don't want to break up. I don't want anyone else. I want you. I'm happy with you, and the only reason I mentioned the thing with Stiles at all was because I didn't know he could travel across the country in two seconds at will. I figured that part of the reason you broke up was because of the distance, and, like, I get that, but then Stiles appeared out of nowhere when I called and asked for help on educating the newbies and I thought - foolishly, obviously - that maybe this could be something that would make you happy, too.”

“Don’t make decisions for me.” Lydia shook her head. She looked stricken and did something she hadn’t done since she was ten, bringing her hand to her mouth and biting at one of her fingernails. When she realized what she was doing, she made a face and wiped her hand off on her shirt. “I need to leave. I can’t - you can’t just decide on things for me.” 

Panic was steadily growing on Scott’s face, and he shook his head frantically. “N-no, Lydia, I wasn't - I would never, I didn't even - it wasn't cemented, it wasn't even a decision, it was a thought, something that I was going to run by you! I wasn't trying to make decisions for you, I promise you I wasn't!”

“Scott.” Lydia shook her head, pressing her lips together to fight back a scream of frustration. “This is still new and I understand that things are messy right now. If it’s crossed your mind to see someone else, anyone else at all, just tell me that!” 

“It hasn't!” Scott blurted, stricken. “I told you that! I've said it twice! I'm not interested in anyone but you! Why-” He drew in a gasping breath, his eyes wide as he shook his head in disbelief. “I don't understand why you don't believe me!”

“So what, now I’m stupid?” Lydia snapped. “Because everything I’ve ever read tells me that when one person accuses another of cheating or thinks they want to be with someone else, it’s usually that person who does! And I know you’d never cheat. Maybe you...” She stopped, smiling tensely. “This is a waste of my time. I’m not going to stand here and keep arguing with you over the fact that you decided you knew what was best for me, better than I do. I have had _enough_ of that for my lifetime.” 

Scott looked like he'd been slapped. He opened his mouth, shaking his head desperately. “No. Lydia, no, please, that wasn't - I wasn't - I'm not trying to do any of that, I'm not saying you're stupid, I wouldn't - I'm-” he faltered, his breath hitching shakily in his chest. “I swear I'm not - I’m - I don't want to lose you, please, please, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, Lydia, I'm sorry I made you think any of that. I'm sorry.”

Stiles had been eavesdropping at the door. He yanked it open and walked out of Veronica’s apartment, frowning at Lydia. “Shut up.” He blurted, then turned toward Scott. “You didn’t do anything wrong and you need to stop apologizing. Yeah, I heard it all.” He looked back at Lydia. “What the hell is going on with you?” 

“Nothing!” Lydia insisted. “He’s the one that decided I’m going to be passed back and forth between you.” 

Stiles snorted and shook his head. “He said that if you wanted to keep seeing me, he was fine with that. You’re making him feel like shit for caring about you. That’s not like you. So again, what the hell is going on with you, Lydia?” 

Lydia’s fists clenched. “I don’t know!” She wailed, putting her hands over her face and slumping back against the wall. “I thought that I was over this after I yelled at Allison, but it hasn’t gone away. It feels like a need to scream, but not because of anyone’s impending death, and my throat hurts. I’ve never dealt with this before.” 

Scott’s fingers shook as he reached out to hesitantly brush them across her shoulder. “Then… we’ll - we’ll figure it out.” He said in a small voice, swallowing. “It's what we do. We… we help. And…” he trailed off, feeling idiotic for being unable to come up with the words to comfort his girlfriend - if she even wanted to be his girlfriend anymore. He drew his hand back slowly. “We’ll figure it out.” He repeated firmly, his voice low. 

Stiles put an arm around Scott. He spoke quietly. “She’s going through something, don’t think this has anything to do with you. It doesn’t, okay?” 

Scott smiled weakly. “But I set it off.” He said softly. “I was the… needle that… with the -” he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “I was just one more thing to pressure her.”

Lydia took a few deep breaths, standing up straight and turning toward Scott. “No.” She shook her head. “No, it’s not anything you did. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Everything just feels like it’s crushing me, and being with you doesn’t do that to me.” 

“I think you’re suffering from anxiety.” Stiles said softly. “You were fine until you saw Boyd, and you’ve kind of been on a downward spiral these last few days. I think you should get away from here. Maybe you should just fly out with Cheryl tonight? I could bring Scott back with me, so he’ll be there when you get there.” He glanced at Scott. “Are you okay with that?” 

Scott straightened, nodding. “No, yeah, of course I'm okay with it.” He said softly, and looked at Lydia, his eyes gentle. “But are you okay with that?” He asked her. “I'll be there if you want me to be.”

Lydia nodded. “I’m going to take Cheryl and leave now, I think. It’s going to take some time for us to arrive, and you could spend that same time talking to everyone here and probably still get to Dulles before we do.” She looked from Scott to Stiles. “And I have some things to think about.” 

Stiles put his other arm around Lydia and pulled her close, kissing her forehead. “We’ll just send Cheryl out to you, okay? I know how you get about crying.” 

Lydia smiled softly. “Yes, I would prefer not to go back in there right now.” She looked up at Scott as Stiles went back into the apartment. “I’m sorry. I wish I knew what was going on with me. I think Stiles is right, and I’m just not myself lately. Not since I found Boyd alive and well.” 

Scott hesitantly reached out to stroke his hands gently down her arms. “It's alright.” He said softly. “Things have been crazy and… and overwhelming. And maybe it could really just be as simple as getting you out of Deathtown USA for a little while. Somewhere you've never been, but… with people you care about.” He lifted his hand to stroke her hair back. “Yeah. I think some time away from here would definitely be good for you.”

Lydia closed her eyes, leaning against Scott and sighing. “You know you deserve better than me, don’t you?” She smiled faintly. “This isn’t - I hate how I just behaved.” 

Scott took that opportunity to draw her completely into his arms, hugging her tightly and resting his head against hers. “Excuse me,” he began, smiling softly. “But I’ll decide what I deserve, thank you very much. And I want you. I'm always going to want you. I can't promise you that I'm going to be perfect. I'm… probably going to do some things without thinking - things that will make you mad. But I'm always going to do my best to let you know how much you mean to me.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. 

Lydia’s smile widened at the affectionate gesture that both guys had used to comfort her, and she wondered if they even knew how similar they were. They always made a point of pointing out their differences. “I love you.” She said softly. 

Scott pulled back to smile down at her properly. “I love you, too.”

“I don’t want to share you with anyone.” Lydia shook her head slightly. “Why would you want to share me with someone?” 

Scott cupped her face gently. “Lydia, I'd set myself on fire if I thought it would make you happy.” He paused. “Um, maybe metaphorical fire. Like, wasabi paste. Not my friend. But my point is, I'd do anything for you. Doesn't matter what it is, if it puts a smile on your face. If that means sharing you with Stiles… or anyone else you wanted… I'd do it.”

“I don’t know how I feel about that. And Stiles is moving on with Theo.” Lydia laughed. “I guess I'll have to really think about it on the flights across the country.” 

Scott smiled crookedly at her and kissed her sweetly. “Take your time.” He murmured. 

Lydia kissed Scott again as the door to Veronica’s apartment opened once more, and Stiles walked out, holding Lydia’s purse and backpack. She turned toward him, confused by the questioning look on his face. 

“I don’t think you’ll want to take this with you.” Stiles laughed, holding up the backpack. “And if you’re planning to stay for at least a little while, won’t you need clothes?” He held the purse out to her, suddenly feeling awkward at how that might have sounded. 

“I was going to pack for myself before we left.” Lydia took her purse and held her hand out for her backpack. 

Scott wound his arm around her waist, kissing her temple softly. “Then we should let you get moving so you and Cheryl can get to the airport.” He murmured quietly, and smiled crookedly. “I'll miss you. For the… However many hours you'll be in that plane until I see you again.”

“I won’t wait, the way Allison did.” Lydia murmured. “I’ll take the closest flight and drive the rest of the way, if I have to.” 

Scott smiled at her. “Just be safe.” He told her, lowering his head to kiss her softly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Lydia turned toward Cheryl. “Come on.” She smiled at the younger girl. “We’ll get there before you know it and everything will be all right.” 

Cheryl smiled back tentatively. “I hope you're right.” She said quietly, and straightened, lifting her chin and glancing back and forth between Stiles and Scott. “I suppose I'll see you both there. Lydia, shall we?”

Lydia held her hand out to Cheryl and leaned toward Scott for another kiss before she walked away with her, toward the elevator. “I need to pick up some things from my house, but it won’t take long.” 

Cheryl took Lydia’s hand and sniffed daintily. “Okay.” She replied.

“First thing?” Lydia smiled gently, glancing at Cheryl. “You don’t have to worry about what your parents think. Or anyone else. You can loosen up a little. I’m not saying I expect you to wear sweats and flip-flops to the grocery store.” She teased. “But you’re not representing the Blossoms anymore. You’ll just be... Cheryl from California.” 

Cheryl smiled back at her softly and ducked her head. “Okay.” She said again. “Thank god.”

Lydia laughed. “It took me awhile to get comfortable to let anyone see me in anything other than skirts and dresses. I still prefer wearing them, but a friend of mine made me see that it was fine to wear shorts and pants, once in awhile, and not just on lazy Sundays.” 

Cheryl huffed out a small laugh. “I wear shorts… For cheerleading practice. I'm… not really a shorts sort of person. Leggings, maybe.” 

“Once we get there, we’ll get Allison and go shopping.” Lydia walked out of the elevator, smiling at the doorman. “Thank you again, Smithers.” She was a little envious of Veronica. Smithers made her miss her grandmother. 

Cheryl glanced back at Smithers as he gave Lydia a kind smile and a gentle, “My pleasure, Miss Martin.” She furrowed her brows, nodding absently at Lydia’s words. Her parents didn't so much as glance at her with anything other than derision and disappointment. She wondered how it felt to have someone that wasn't even a parent to her, like Smithers, look at her with that sort of kindness. 

Lydia waited until they were out of the building and back in Cheryl’s car before she spoke. “My parents got divorced a few years ago. My dad doesn’t come around anymore. Men having midlife crises are incredibly ridiculous.” 

Cheryl slipped into the driver’s seat quietly. “My parents have been… this way since the very beginning. Since… Jason flashed his eyes at birth, and I didn't. They waited, thinking maybe I would present in a few more months, or when I was a year old. I didn't. I never did. By the time I was five, I was… trying to show off my heritage in an entirely different way, just to prove that I belonged. That I was a Blossom. It didn't matter. They looked at me like I was…” She paused, glancing at Lydia. “You know the Black family in the Harry Potter series? The pureblood supremacists. When someone proved that they weren't of the norm, they got blasted of the family tree and kicked out of the family?” She stared at the steering wheel for a moment. “I think my parents would have done that to me in an instant if they thought they wouldn't be looked down on by everyone in Riverdale for it.”

“Hmm. My mother had me committed to a psychiatric hospital because I can sense when someone is going to die and my grandmother could, too. It upset my mother to think that I wasn’t normal like her. So I suppose you and I are on opposite sides of the same problem.” Lydia took a deep breath, thinking of her earlier outburst and the accusations she had made toward Scott. “But when you find people who care about you in any capacity, you hold onto that. That means something.” 

Cheryl sighed. “I haven't found anyone like that. The only person that genuinely cared was Jason. I know I sound like a broken record, but it's true. He was the only one that cared. The only one. I have no one now.”

“That’s not true. You have me, and you don’t realize it yet, but you have my friends, too. When one of us cares, we all do.” Lydia murmured. “Because we’re family and that’s what family does.” 

Cheryl gave her a small smile and started the car. “It's a nice thought. Maybe you're right.”

“I try to be.” Lydia laughed. “If anyone asks us what we’re doing or where we’re going, we’re sisters, visiting our grandmother in Florida.” She tried to think of everything else Stiles had told her earlier, over the phone. “But if anyone does ask, pay attention to every detail about them. Hair color. Eye color. Anything. And give them a fake name and age, if they ask for those things.” 

Cheryl nodded seriously as she pulled out of the parking lot. “Understood.” She murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look for more of Lydia and Cheryl in [Sugar Sugar and Spice](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10021019), the companion fic to this!


	16. Chapter 16

Stiles put his hand on Scott’s shoulder and guided him back toward Veronica’s apartment. “They started making their own little fact-sheet things.” He laughed. “So we can find links between us and all of them.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You know, no matter what happens after this, I know we’ll all be okay. I guess all that optimism of yours finally got to me.” 

Scott draped his arm around Stiles’ shoulders and laughed quietly. “Well, something of mine had to rub off on you eventually, right?”

Stiles smirked. “God, you make it too easy to say such dirty things, sometimes.” He laughed. 

Scott smacked his shoulder. “You're a horrible person.”

Stiles grinned. “Hey, you’re the one talking about rubbing off on me.” 

Scott shook his head. “No. Bad Stiles.” He chastised, snorting. 

Stiles smiled and opened the door to the apartment. “Okay, I want to see what you guys have about yourselves.” He called out. “And we should order a pizza or something, because this kind of thing might take awhile.” 

Veronica smiled at Betty. “Should we place an order for Pop’s?” 

Betty nodded, smiling back at her. “Definitely.” She agreed, and then looked around. “Hey, Jughead, what do you want from Pop’s?”

“Two cheeseburgers and a chocolate shake.” Jughead licked his lips. “And a pie.” 

Scott blinked at him. “A whole pie?”

Betty was already writing the order down in her notebook.

“Yeah, a whole pie.” Jughead nodded. 

Stiles eyed Jughead. “Where exactly the hell are you going to put it?” 

Betty looked up and said, without a hint of amusement, “In his stomach, obviously.” She looked at Stiles like he was insane for asking.

Scott looked bewildered, pointing at Jughead. “But - a whole pie?” He repeated.

Betty finally got the message and grinned. “This is normal happenstance for Juggy. His metabolism is through the roof, I’m pretty sure he could actually eat Pop’s entire menu for three whole days, and he’d constantly find somewhere to put it.” She looked over at the other boy fondly before grinning at Veronica.

Veronica grinned back at her girlfriend. “I wish I had that kind of metabolism. There’s a reason I joined the Vixens. I can’t keep eating onion rings and milkshakes if I don’t get enough exercise to burn it all off.” 

Scott poked at his stomach, looking a little petulant before looking up at Stiles and sighing. “I think I’m gonna need to make sure that I watch what I eat, too. Werewolf metabolism is great and all but I don’t think it’s going to keep me fit forever. Even Derek had to keep working at it, remember how pumped he looked after everything with Kate and Peter?” He paused. “The first time around, not the second.”

Stiles shook his head. “You’re not Derek. I’m not saying you should start looking like Peter Griffin, but you’re not in danger of that anytime soon.” 

Scott smiled at him. “Aw. Well, thanks, man.”

Veronica rolled her eyes, but she really wasn’t that bothered by Scott and Stiles and the way they were interacting. She just wasn’t sure why they thought their relationship was purely platonic. 

Betty, on the other hand, looked indulgent and amused by them, smiling at their antics. She shook her head. “They’re kind of adorable.” She murmured.

“Yeah, I can’t argue with that.” Veronica agreed. “Should we say something?” 

Betty hesitated. “I… yes. I think so. But I also want to see how this plays out,” she laughed.

“We’ll wait until after dinner, then.” Veronica kissed Betty again, then looked back up at the wall as Stiles started stretching green strands of thread from the left side of the wall to the right. “So you’re matching things up now, right?” 

“Yeah.” Stiles answered. He gestured to the sheet of paper taped up on the wall, beside his name. “Like the fact that I’m the Sheriff’s son is something that matches Kevin, but the other stuff is all like Jughead. Lydia thinks that Moose is a banshee because he keeps finding bodies, but I’m not so convinced. Banshee actually means ‘wailing woman,’ and it’s my understanding that Moose is a guy.” 

Betty nodded. “Yeah, Moose is very much a guy.” She murmured. Furrowing her brows, she added, “But he did find bodies. And if a banshee is only a woman, then… what is Moose?”

Stiles had turned around as Betty spoke, and he smiled crookedly at her. “You’re not very good at sarcasm, are you? You all grew up with Moose, right?” He glanced at Scott. “And you were in middle school with him? Is he FTM, or something like that?” 

Betty shook her head, eyes wide. “He’s always been a guy. Just… a guy.”

Scott rubbed at his chin thoughtfully and looked at Stiles. “Maybe he’s possessed?”

“By a banshee?” Stiles looked uncertain. “I have a theory, but it might be a little weird. Do you remember health class in ninth grade?” 

Scott fidgeted, looking a little embarrassed. “Sorta.” He admitted, and then grinned winningly at Stiles. “I remember what amino acids are!”

Stiles smiled back at his best friend. “Okay, that’s great, but that doesn’t help us right now. We had two weeks of learning about babies in utero, and how sometimes, one baby kind of... uh, dissolves? And gets absorbed by the other one. And then we learned about chimeras in science, remember? How someone can have two sets of DNA. So maybe Moose isn’t the one that’s the banshee, he’s just... kind of hosting his sister, who is?” 

Scott straightened, his smile fading as he took in Stiles’ words. “Holy shit.” He muttered. “That’s… I do remember that. It freaked us both out. That’s…” He turned to look at the other three. “Do any of you know if Moose had a twin? Are any of you close enough to him to know?”

Betty bit her lip, shaking her head.

“Not me, I just moved here a couple of weeks ago.” Veronica reminded Scott. 

“Kevin probably knows.” Jughead looked at Betty. “I think we need to call him and Moose and have them come here. They can answer questions about themselves much more easily than we can.” 

Betty looked back at him and sighed, nodding. “I think you’re right.” She murmured. “Okay. I’ll call Kevin.”

“And he can call Moose.” Veronica smiled. “I’ll order dinner while you do that.” She grabbed the list of food that Betty had written down, reading over it before she looked at Scott and Stiles. “What do you guys want?” 

Scott thought for a moment, and then shrugged. “Bacon cheeseburger and fries - wait. No, onion rings, not fries. And a big Coke.” He glanced at Stiles after a second, squinting, and then looked at Veronica. “Does this Pop’s place have curly fries?”

“You didn’t see them on the menu the other day, with Lydia?” Veronica smiled. “Yes, they do. I guess that’s what you want?” She asked Stiles. 

Stiles nodded. “Yeah, and I’ll have a root beer and a cheeseburger, too.” 

Scott’s stomach rumbled, and he looked embarrassed. “Guess I’m hungrier than I thought I was.” He murmured, shaking his head, glancing up as Betty lifted her phone to her ear and stepped out of the way. He paused and looked down at his own phone, firing off a quick message to Lydia. ‘Text me when you get on the plane?’

‘We’re still at my house, but I’ll let you know.’ Lydia replied, then sent a heart emoji. 

Stiles laughed as he read over Scott’s shoulder. “She’s even acting like a sixteen year old.” 

Scott looked giddy, unable to stop grinning, and he promptly replied with another heart. “She’s not the only one.” He admitted, looking up at Stiles.

“I think it’s kind of cute that you two are like this.” Stiles smiled. “I’m happy for you.” 

Scott bit his lower lip, his cheeks aching from the strength of his smile. “Thanks.” He said softly. “It wouldn’t… It wouldn’t even be possible if it wasn’t for you. I would never have gotten off my ass to do anything about it.”

“I knew you liked her, so it wasn’t like...” Stiles shrugged. “You might’ve been a little messed up from the moon, but you wouldn’t have gone after Lydia if you weren’t interested. Sophomore year.” 

Scott exhaled softly. “I was a dick to do it, though.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry I did that, when I knew how much you liked her.”

“Yeah, but it’s in the past.” Stiles pointed out. “If I don’t need to feel guilty for things I did, even without my control, then you can’t feel guilty for things you did when yours was a little shaky, too.” 

Scott nodded, smiling at Stiles faintly. “Okay.” He agreed.

“The food should be ready in twenty minutes.” Veronica called out. She sat down on the couch and looked up at Scott and Stiles. “Is there anything else we need to know about you guys?” 

Scott tilted his head. “Um… I actually… probably? But I can’t think of what’s important for you guys to know right this minute.”

Stiles patted Scott’s shoulder. “This is why he called me, remember? Okay. We started off, the two of us went looking for a dead body because it had been bisected and I’m not ashamed to admit that I was really interested in seeing it. If I don’t become a deputy, I might go for a medical career, too.” He glanced at Scott, smiling sheepishly. “I could be a medical examiner and I don’t need a medical degree for it. It helps, but it’s not required.” 

Scott smiled at Stiles, moving to sit on the arm of the couch once more. “Let’s see about getting you legal, though, if you’re gonna go that route, hmm?” He teased. Looking at the others, he continued from where Stiles had left off. “We got separated, because one of Stiles’ dad’s K-nine dogs scared him and… well, he got busted. I lost my inhaler… and I found the top half of the body. I remember there being a stampede of deer, and I fell down a hill, and then I was bitten. The next thing I knew, I could see better, heal faster, run faster… and had crazy anger management issues and a complete inability to control random facial hair and claws and fangs from sprouting.”

“Like Archie.” Veronica looked at her friends, then back over at Scott. “He doesn’t want our help. And we don’t know how to help him, anyway.” 

“And that’s why you need me.” Stiles grinned. “I’ll try to be nicer to your friend than I was to mine, though. I got people to beat him up and I pelted him with lacrosse balls, when we were trying to find a way for him to control himself. If you want someone to get to the point where they need to control their shift, you have to get them out of control, first.” 

Betty grimaced, finally coming over and putting her phone away. “Is that really a good idea with Archie, though? Scott’s your best friend. You know him inside and out, and it was probably pretty easy for you to test his limits and see how far you could push to get him to crack. But… every individual is different, and Archie’s story might start off like Scott’s, sort of, but it doesn’t mean it mirrors it completely. What happens if you get Archie out of control and… he stays out of control?”

“We have methods to take care of that, too.” Stiles said easily. He stared at her for a long moment, thinking of the information he had seen on the paper beside her name, on the wall. “You’re Archie’s best friend, aren’t you? He’s optimistic and everybody likes him, you try to be hopeful but you want to strangle people sometimes for not listening to you. You want to know how I know this? You’re me. That’s how.” 

Betty let out a soft noise, staring at him. “What? But - no, Kevin is… and Juggy, they're both more like you than I could ever be.”

Scott was nodding though. “No, I see it.” He told her. “If Archie is me, then you - there's a part of you that is most definitely Stiles. Barring the ‘hunting in the woods for bodies’ thing.”

“She would.” Jughead smiled at Betty. “She would do it if she felt like she needed answers badly enough and nobody else was giving them to her.” 

Betty flushed, smiling a little sheepishly. “Well… okay, maybe.” She murmured. 

“What about all of the similarities you have with me and Kevin?” Jughead was intrigued by Stiles’ insight and felt like he was finally around adults who weren't completely full of themselves, even though those adults were newly minted. 

“Surface stuff. Mostly.” Stiles glanced up at Jughead. “I know there’s more to it than that, and I won’t overlook the details. But there’s a lot missing from your paper that I can’t just guess. Maybe you’re like me, too. But you wouldn't want to be thought of that way. You don’t know what you’re walking into, but you’ll run at it if your friends need that.” Stiles nudged Scott and gestured to Jughead. “Allison.” He nodded. “But here’s the weirder part. Betty, your parents hate the Blossoms, right? They’ve never said why? And the Blossoms hate them, too? Polly dated Jason and things went to hell?”

Betty nodded, sighing. “Yes, yes and yes. They won’t explain it to me.”

“Does your dad own weapons? Or your mom, maybe?” Stiles asked carefully, not meeting his best friend’s gaze because he didn’t want to see his expression, figuring he knew it would be one of fear. 

“ _My_ parents?” Betty blurted, laughing. “My dad’s never raised a weapon in his life. And my mom’s only weapons are her words and her laptop.”

Stiles bit his lip. He had been so sure he was right, that the Coopers were hunters and that was why they had a long-standing feud with the Blossoms. He tried to puzzle out what he was missing. “What do your parents do?” 

Betty glanced at Veronica, furrowing her brows before looking at Stiles. “They co-own and edit the local newspaper.” She replied, frowning.

“That doesn’t make any fu-” Stiles grimaced. “Wait, is it in print? Or just online?” 

Betty blinked. “Uh, it’s in print. It’s one of the few that are still in print in our area, everything else has gone online.”

Stiles stood up. “I want to see it. Do you have a key to the place? Can we get in without your parents seeing us?” 

Betty stood up as well, looking bewildered. “I mean, they aren’t there all the time, they have their own staff that help take care of things, so it isn’t necessary, but… yeah, I guess. They should be at home by now, and yeah, I’ve got a key.” She reached for Veronica’s hand, suddenly very wary.

Veronica caught Betty’s hand between both of hers. “I’ll drop you guys off on my way to Pop’s, and then pick you up on the way back? Is that enough time?” 

“It should be.” Stiles nodded. “I just need to see a couple of things.” 

Betty exhaled and nodded, leaning forward to kiss her girlfriend softly. “Thank you.” She murmured.

Scott leaned toward Stiles, frowning. “What are you thinking?” He asked quietly.

“If they’re not going on the offense, then the next best strategy for a hunter is defense.” Stiles muttered. “Protective measures. The ink probably has something extra in it, but I won’t know until I see it. Or if you smell it. And if they do have weapons and don’t want to keep them in the house for their daughter to find, they’ve got the office as a cover.” 

Scott exhaled slowly, nodding. “I hate it, but that makes sense.” He said softly. “I’d hate to think what that sort of realization is gonna do to Betty.”

“She’s got her friends, and us.” Stiles whispered. “She’ll be fine.” 

Scott smiled crookedly. “Good to know.” He murmured, nodding. He gestured at him. “Alright. Let’s get going, then.”

“Can you stay here for when Kevin and Moose show up?” Veronica asked Jughead. “Sorry to bail on you, but we won’t be gone that long.” 

Jughead smirked. “Yeah, it’s fine. I’ll just watch tv until you get back.” He dropped into a sitting position on the couch and turned the tv on, putting his feet up on the coffee table. 

Betty reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing affectionately. “Thank you.” She murmured. She turned and looped her arm through Veronica’s, smiling at her. 

Veronica took the elevator to the lobby with her girlfriend and new friends. “I guess my mom won’t be back for awhile, so can we take your truck?” She asked Scott. “If you don’t want me to drive it anywhere, I understand. Maybe you could just drop me off instead of me dropping you off?” 

Scott shrugged. “I don't have a problem with you driving the truck. Just - be careful, okay?” He pleaded. 

“I promise I will.” Veronica murmured. “Be careful with my girlfriend, please?” She laughed. “I just got her and I don’t want to lose her.” 

Scott smiled gently at her. “I'll do everything I can to keep Betty safe.” He promised Veronica. 

Stiles got into the truck, feeling a little wistful as he thought about Theo. He missed his boyfriend and was eager to get home - and surprised that he already thought of Washington, D.C. as home - to him and Allison. 

Scott glanced over at Stiles, looking at him and squinting. “You okay, bro?” He asked as he climbed into the truck.

Betty clambered inside as well, looking back and forth between them. 

“Yeah.” Stiles nodded. “I was just thinking about Theo.” He smiled crookedly. “I’m here to help and I’m not going anywhere until this gets straightened out, but I miss him.” 

Scott was silent for a moment as he started up the truck, uncertain of how to broach the topic of Stiles’ sudden relationship with Theo - sudden for Scott, anyway. Clearing his throat as he began to drive, her finally glanced over at his best friend. “Is he, uh… is he being good to you?” He asked softly.

“Yeah.” Stiles said again, then laughed. “He told me a few things. He’s been interested in me for a lot longer than I even thought he might’ve been, and he came out there to be with me because he wanted me for himself. And not for anything, uh, nefarious. He’s taking the same classes that I am, and he has plans for what he’s doing after we graduate. That’s... I think this is for real. I know it’s early. I don’t care.” 

“Oh.” Scott sounded startled, glancing at Stiles with raised eyebrows. “I… I mean, I'm the last person to tell you that it's too soon for any of that. I heard Allison’s voice, took one look at her and I was ready to be on a porch with her and watching our grandkids play in the yard.” He went quiet for a moment. “I look at Lydia now and I want to _live_ with her. Whisk her around the world, anywhere she wants to go, see the sights. I wanna do the boring stuff with her, too.” He laughed. “Paying bills, going grocery shopping… Her trying to bribe me with ice cream after a trip to the dentist.”

Stiles laughed. “I used to think about how I’d be the guy making her coffee in the morning while she gets ready for work, even if that’s just writing complex equations to earn the Fields Medal. But with Theo, it’s like... I don’t know what next month will be like, or next year. I just know that if he’s around, it won’t be so lonely. And that sounds like I’m not looking for anything more from him than to keep the bed warm, and that’s not it. I’m just not making plans because I don’t think I need to. I kind of expect that he’ll stick around.” 

Scott smiled crookedly at him, nodding slowly. “It sounds like he will, yeah.” He murmured.

“Are you dropping me off, or am I driving?” Veronica interrupted. She knew they had discussed it twice already, but she felt like Scott was prone to changing his mind on things fairly easily. 

Scott looked in the rear view mirror at her, his expression sheepish. “Sorry. Uh, yeah, I mean, you can drive the truck. I figure if you're picking up food, it'd be easier on you anyway, right?”

“Right.” Veronica smiled. “Because otherwise, I’d just have to sit there and wait for you guys to come get me. And if something goes wrong, that might not be possible.” 

Stiles turned around slowly to stare at Veronica. “Shut your mouth, you heathen. Don’t you know what kind of curses you’re invoking by saying that kind of thing?” 

“Seriously.” Scott added. “Don't tempt fate. We figured that out the hard way.”

Betty smiled tightly, pinching Veronica’s knee. “Gotcha. No tempting fate.”

Veronica pouted, but she nodded. “Okay, I’ll try to remember that from now on.” 

Betty grinned at her, letting out a little giggle before kissing Veronica. “I'll help you remember.”

Stiles pointed to the building with a ‘Riverdale Register’ sign on the front of it. “I’m guessing it’s there?” He asked Betty. 

Betty looked back at him, raising her eyebrow. “What gave it away?” She asked dryly, her lips twitching. 

Stiles laughed. “And that’s enough out of you too, mini-me.” 

Betty stuck her tongue out at him, laughing.

Scott shook his head in amusement, bringing the truck to a stop across the street. He slid out and peered at Veronica closely before pointing at her. “Don't hurt my truck.”

Veronica smiled. “I’ll treat it like it’s my own.” She crossed her heart. “Don’t hurt my girl.” 

Scott mirrored her gesture. “I'll treat her like she's my family.” He told her, utterly sincere. 

Veronica beamed and got into the driver’s seat, pulling away from the curb and driving toward Pop Tate’s. 

Stiles crossed the street, eager to get into the building and have a look at the ink and all of the rooms. 

Scott gestured for Betty to go ahead of him, protectively placing himself behind the younger teen as they crossed the street. 

Betty smiled crookedly, following closely after Stiles, and darting ahead of him in order to unlock the door to the Register.

“Show me where the ink is?” Stiles looked around. “Scott, do you smell anything?” 

Scott stepped inside - and immediately started coughing. He crashed against the wall, wheezing and covering his mouth with his hand.

Betty looked alarmed, moving forward to help Scott straighten up. “What’s going on? What did he smell?”

“Something that proves my point. Grab me a bottle of water from somewhere?” Stiles ushered Scott back outside and rubbed his back, between his shoulder blades. “I didn’t think it would be that potent.” He murmured apologetically. 

Betty nodded worriedly, darting out of the front hall.

Scott gasped softly, leaning against him. “You didn’t know. Not your fault.” He coughed again.

“But I had a big suspicion.” Stiles muttered. “Look, it just proves it. Wolfsbane, right? So the Coopers are hunters. I think we’ll find their weapons if we look hard enough.” 

Betty ran back out, a bottle of water in her hands. She cracked it open and pushed it into Scott’s hands. “Drink, please.” She ordered him.

Scott obeyed silently, gulping down the water eagerly until he felt like he could breathe again. He leaned against the wall, sighing and looking up at them both. “I think it’s gonna have to be the two of you looking.” He mumbled. “I can’t step foot in there. Not unless I want to permanently stop breathing.”

“Are you sure that’s even safe?” Stiles demanded. “What if we get something on us and it fucks you up when we’re in the truck, after this?” 

Scott made a face. “Didn’t think about that.” He let his head thump lightly against the wall. “Well, shit. What do we do now?”

“I’ll go by myself.” Stiles blurted. “I can take pictures and send them to you, pop into my house for a shower to make sure I don’t cause you problems, and meet you back at Veronica’s after that?” 

Scott glanced at Betty for confirmation, then looked back at Stiles and nodded. “Okay.” He murmured. “But you’d better be safe, okay? I mean it. Please.”

“I will be.” Stiles turned toward Betty. “Lock me in? I’ll still be able to get out, but I don’t want to risk touching the lock myself. Fingerprints.” 

Betty nodded nervously. “Yeah, sure - of course.” She murmured, exhaling softly. She was trying to avoid thinking about the implications of Scott’s breathing problems - because it meant thinking that… well, that she really didn’t know her parents at all.

Stiles glanced at Scott, tilting his head toward Betty to indicate that they should talk while he was gone. He walked back into the building and waited for Betty to lock the door. 

Betty licked her lips and exhaled softly, pressing the door shut and locking it. She turned and leaned against it, using its support as she slid down to sit on the ground. She put her face in her hands.

Scott took another drink of water, watching her for a moment. “It was hard on Allison, too.” He said softly. “When she found out about her family.”

Betty looked up at him, looking distraught. “What did she find out?” She asked softly.

Scott sat up and set the water bottle down on the floor, lacing his fingers together. “She comes from a long line of hunters.” He started. “Men and women trained as far back as the seventeen-sixties to hunt and kill werewolves. She’s descended from the woman who killed the Beast of Gévaudan.” He smiled faintly. “The Argent name and family line is a well storied one.”

“The Beast of Gévaudan?” Betty blurted. “Did she - did her parents tell her about that?”

Scott shook his head. “No.” He sighed. “She found out about her family in… probably one of the most heinous ways possible. See, uh… several years ago, long before she ever moved to Beacon Hills, her aunt was there. And… so were the Hales. They were the founding family of the town, a peaceful family of werewolves. Their family line was probably more extensive than the Argents’. But, um… Allison found out that her aunt had set the fire that had killed all of the Hales except for four of them - and when her aunt came back to town, she managed to capture one of them to introduce Allison to hunting. It wasn’t long after that, that Ally found out about me, too. We had it rough for a little while, but… I mean, she found out that her parents had been keeping this enormous secret from her for years, and right in the middle found out that her favorite aunt was a murderer and a psychopath, like a nice little poisonous cherry on top.”

Betty looked appalled. “And… you and Stiles think that my parents are like this, too?” She blurted, a horrified expression on her face.

“That asthma attack I just had wasn’t because of constricted airways.” Scott pointed out. “I haven’t had asthma since I was turned. The only thing that could have caused that sort of attack, for me? Is wolfsbane.” He gazed at her sympathetically. “And the reason I know that is because Allison’s mother once tried to kill me with it, just like that - turning it into vapor, so that it was in the air. So that it would look like I had died of an asthma attack. It was a faint amount that no one would have thought to check for it. She would’ve gotten away with it if Derek hadn’t saved me.”

Betty’s face had fallen more and more with each word Scott said, and by the time he’d stopped talking, she had once more buried her face in her hands. “What am I going to do?” She whispered. 

Scott exhaled slowly. “You accept the knowledge. You do the research and come to conclusions for yourself - don’t let other people dictate your thoughts and actions. That happened to Allison, too, and she could’ve gone further and further down a really dark path if she’d stayed in the mindset she was in. Don’t let it happen to you. Okay?”

Betty sniffled softly and nodded. “Okay.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a really short one, we know. Consider it a transition scene, before more action takes place.

Stiles was already reaching for his food as he appeared in Veronica’s kitchen, smiling at the brunette’s startled gasp and subsequent string of swear words. “For your sake, I hope you don’t have cause to get used to this.” He murmured. 

Betty stepped past the kitchen door, rubbing her eyes as she went toward her girlfriend. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around Veronica’s waist and hid her face in the other girl’s shoulder.

Scott looked up at Stiles and sighed. “Who knew she’d be just as much Allison’s mini me as she is yours?” He said quietly.

“Me.” Stiles murmured in response. “Veronica is Allison and Lydia. And Jughead is me and Isaac, and Cheryl is Lydia and Erica. You don't see any of that?” 

Scott shook his head tentatively. “Not all of it, no.” He sighed. “It’s like you all had babies that were kept secret from you until now.”

“Yeah, except that would mean our DNA was harvested when we were toddlers.” Stiles shuddered. “That’s the creepiest thing that I’ve ever had to consider as a possibility. I really, really hope that’s not what’s going on here.” 

Scott made a face. “Me, too.” He sighed. “But I doubt that it is.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes.

“I think it could just be a thing. ‘Like attracts like,’ or something like that.” Stiles snorted. “If this is happening to them and they’re us, then maybe there was an us before we were... we? Like the shit that happened in Canaan, how it could’ve happened to us if we hadn’t stopped it. Maybe that’s what this is. A sort of traveling... what would we even call it?” 

“A temporal loop?” Scott suggested, making a face. “But I don’t think that’s right. This is…” He shook his head, scoffing. “It’s a curse, is what it is. Like it gets passed on to every new generation, if the generation before them manages to survive.”

“So Canaan failed and we didn’t?” Stiles grimaced. “Fuck. If everyone that lives here moves away, is that a pass or a fail?” 

Scott grimaced. “... Um… a pass? Because at least they’d be alive to move away and get out of the time loop’s way?”

“So it can go somewhere else? We need to stop it altogether. I don’t know how, though.” Stiles sighed and bit into his cheeseburger, thinking. 

Scott shook his head, listlessly playing with his fries. “Neither do I.” He sighed. “I wonder if we even can, honestly.”


End file.
